Bubblegum Crisis 2040: The Last Battle
by Imaj Inaya
Summary: LinnaPriss PrissSylia slash. I didn't feel there was an end to the series. Can the Knight Sabers get back together after all that's happened? I like sick plot twists... don't you?
1. Return Home!

Title: Bubblegum Crisis 2040: The Last Battle  
  
Rating: Explict PG-13... for sexual implications, language, and best of all violence.  
  
Summary: What happend after 2040? I was not at all happy with the lack of conclusion, so this is my idea of what could have happend. Sylia rounds them all up, and alot of romance drama crap happens. If this isn't bad enough they get more drama and angst thrown upon them. Whenever I write a multi-chapter fanfict (which this is my first one in a loooooong time) there's always a sick twist near the end. Bad summary? I know.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or rights or anything to BGC 2040, don't sue me... not that I really think you'd bother. Blah, blah, blah...  
  
Authors request: Feedback *really* inspires me... so if you give me feedback I'm more likely to finnish this fict, and even write more. AND if you ask really nicely I might draw some Fanart of whatever you think would make a god pic.  
  
Warning: BAD spelling ahead. I'll take this warning out when it's finnaly been revised...  
  
  
Tokyo was still in ruins, though the city would never stay that way. Only weeks after the great Boomer attack, people from all over Japan had returned to the city to rebuild. Not all was lost. Most of the boomers died after the sky had fallen down upon them in little drops of light. It was only a matter of prying the boomers off and out of most of the buildings. Others were too far gone for this though. The AD Police tower was to be torn down, and completely rebuilt. Sylia was having the same done to her home. In the meanwhile Mackie, Nigel and herself were living in the country home that she had grown up in.   
  
Day by day she could feel herself slipping deeper, and deeper into a never ending pit of depression. She was somehow keeping her calm, and strong composure though. She was greatful to have Mackie back, and safe. He was the only bit of happiness she had to cling onto. Well... and then Nigel. It was a strange relationship. He didn't show emotion. She didn't show emotion. They both knew how the other felt, but it was never spoken of, or acted upon. A silent understanding.   
She was sitting in an old oak rocking chair. Her face buried deep with the palms of her hands. The feeling she knew only as self pity engulfing her soul. She held back the tears, and watched as the emotional pain turned into a physical pain. Her head was pounding. She continued to rock lightly holding her now throbing head.   
  
"Sylia..." Mackie said lightly putting a hand on her shoulder. Sylia uprighted herself and smiled at Mackie. He still looked concerned, so she stood up and began to pace.  
  
"Sylia, what is it?" Mackie asked watching her pace nervously.  
  
"I can't help but feel that the others are still alive." Sylia answered. Her head felt like it was about to explode. The pain of every heart beat. Pound, pound, pound. It was killing her.  
  
"I believe they are." Mackie said, "Since you are all connected through the Knight Sabers process, it would only make sense that if they had died- you would feel it."  
  
"Exactly what I was thinking Mackie, they're alive. Somewhere" Sylia nodded. The nod was like a snap. Cracking and popping. She wanted to wince in the horrible pain. She'd felt worse. Much worse. That reassured her enough to keep her composure.  
  
"Do you think they'll return to Tokyo?" Mackie asked, completely oblivious to Sylia's psycho-sumatic headache.  
  
"Maybe. I'm really not sure...." She trailed off. She looked into the kitchen and saw a bottle of rum out on the counter. She could feel her entire body sigh with relief. "Could you excuse me, Mackie?"  
  
"Um... sure Sylia." Mackie looked around, "I need to be helping Nigel out in the garage anyway-"  
  
"Thank you Mackie" Sylia slipped into the kitchen.  
  
One glass down. Head still pounding. Two glasses down. Almost feels worse. Three. Four. Not helping. Taking the bottle and glass into the bathroom she sifted through the medicine cabinet. Nothing helpful. A packet of ancient razors, some shaving cream, so allergy medicine and a packet of bandaids. She slammed the mirror back into place. There she was stareing back at herself. Her silvery light blue hair pulled back nicely as always. She was wearing a designer suit. Her eyes calm and beautiful. She looked nothing like what she felt.   
  
The mirror glimmered. She lipped out the words 'It's all your fault'. She sneered at the mirror. Again she lipped at her self 'All your fucking fault'.   
"No..." She whimpered. Looking down at the sink. There was her rum. She threw her head back and took a huge gulp. Better. Looking back at the mirror. She was glareing coldly at herself. "What do you want from me!" She screamed at the mirror. The she whispered rasply "All the lives of all the innocent people you killed. You killed them all. You let her out. You killed them. She was made from you. She was you, and You killed them all."  
She doubled up and feel to the floor crying. She finnished off the bottle of rum and pulled herself back up useing the sink.She looked at her tear streaked reflection.   
"You don't FUCKING deserve to LIVE you fucking MURDERER!" She punched the mirror. The glass shattered all over the sink and the floor. Her hand was bleeding. She threw the rum bottle at the bathroom wall. It shattered as well. She leaned on the sink for support in her sobs. The sound of running threw the house, and Mackie yelling her name made her look up. She Choked back the tears for a moment.   
  
"SYLIA!" Mackie yelled through the door, "Are you okay? Sylia"  
  
"I'm fine , just dropped a glass." She said with incredible expertise in hiding her pain.   
  
"Oh, alright. If you need anything-"  
  
"I'll be out in a little while, Mackie. Thank you." She sounded stern, and a little annoyed. So he nodded at the door and walked away. When she was sure that he was gone she looked around the dark bathroom. Glass shattered everywhere. Her fist was gashed up pretty badly. She turned on the water and held the wound under it until the blood stopped rushing. She cleaned up the glass and looked at the broken mirror. There was no way to hide that. She turned and walked out of the room casually. In her bed room she wrapped a small piece of cloth around her fist. It hid the wound nicely and looked decorative in the meantime. She smirked to herself realizing the headache was gone.  
  
"I'm sure glad that it wasn't a derserted island, aren't you" Linna laughed at Nene looking back at her from the helecopter window.  
  
"Yeah... though I think it'd be worse for me." Nene nodded.  
  
"Why do you say that Nene?" Linna peered at her curiously.  
  
Nene put a hand behind her head, sweatdropped and replied "There wouldn't be any boys on the island"  
Linna looked confused for a moment, then with the relization of the implications blushed and grumbled "I don't see how that's worse..."  
  
Nene giggled, "You're so wierd."  
  
Linna went back to watching the ocean waters outside through the small window. They were on thier way back to Japan finnaly. They had landed on a small bahamahs island. They were taken to the U.S. and held there for days. Once they were proven to be who they said they were, they were shipped back to thier country. Of course Tokyo was not a very good place to live right now, so they'd have to go elsewhere for the time being. When they landed Linna took a bus to her parents house. Nene re-grouped with waiting AD police in a small town outside of Tokyo. They promised to keep in touch via e-mail.  
  
Nene checked into the Motel. She recognized almost everyone there, at least all the AD Police. The regular cops were the ones she didn't know. She was just about to head to her room when a familiar male voice stopped her.  
  
"Now how did you young ladies pull this off?" He said in his normal Leon tone.  
  
"With incredible brains and brawn, of course. Much better than you could ever dream of doing Leon-poo"  
  
He growled. "Don't call me that."  
  
"So what is it that you really want?" Nene rolled her eyes.  
  
"Well, If you're back... then... uh..." He stuttered over his words.  
  
"If you're asking me about Priss. I don't know. She..." Nene trailed off  
  
Leon grabbed her and shook her "She what? She's okay? She made it...Right Nene. Priss made it."  
  
Nene stuggled free "I told you- I don't know. She stayed behind... I don't think she did. I'm sorry Leon." Nene could feel her eyes burning. Poor Priss. She ran to her room and slammed the door. First thing she did upon entering the room was sit down at the computer. She began a search for Priss. If anything like what happened to her and Linna happened to Priss-there's be record of it.  
  
Linna paused outside of her parents house. She truely hated it there. She knocked. Her parents had very surprised faces when they saw her. Then there was the hugging, the exchange of the I missed you's, was so worried about you's and love you's. They made dinner fot her right away. It was delicsious, but with dinner comes conversations.  
  
"So are you staying home now? Maybe taking a nice suitor, and becaome a wife?" Her father asked.   
Linna sighed. She poked at the food and thought about Priss. She was lost between Priss being alive or being dead. She knew she couldn't possibly be dead though. She just knew it. And as long as Priss was still alive, Priss had Linna's heart. "No, dad."  
  
"Why not? There's no longer a job for you in the city." He pushed.  
  
"Because it's not what I want." She stood up. His glare made her sit back down and start eating in silence.   
  
After dinner she went to her room. She began to compose an e-mail to Nene.  
  
Dear Nene,  
  
How is the AD Police doing? I read that it looks like you'll be back in buisness, and probably paid more too. That's great. Have you heard from Sylia yet? Do you think there will be Knight Sabers again? Can't wait till we are all back together again. Let me know how it's going over there.  
  
Love,  
Linna  
  
She didn't even have time to get up before she got a "Nene Mesage"  
  
Nene spoke into the screen "They're all here. Leon, Daily, they're here. Leon harrassed me about Priss already. I told him that she probably wasn't comming back. I haven't heard from Sylia yet, but I sent Mackie a Nene Message. I hope he's okay now. I'm sure Sylia will be rounding us up again son. After all she has to pay us big time for that last job. Hehe. Well hope it's going okay for you out in the country."  
  
Linna sighed. She knew she couldn't stay out here and be happy. She had to find Priss, or at least confirm her.... death.  
  
Priss walked through the wrecked city. She sang to herself the whole way, she sang of loss, and recovery through love. In the dessesert she had found a small city. A young rich man had loved her voice and offered her some clothes. When she told him she needed to get back to Tokyo, to her surprise the man offered her a ride. A personal delevery back to Tokyo. Now she was there, and almost to her run down trailor. Standing out side of it she studied it. Almost just how she had left it. No use for the boomers to touch it. Closest thing to a boomer in it was her refrigerator. It had been turned into a boomer, but so what? She flopped down on her bed. She closed her nice. Boy was in nice to be back on a bed.  
  
She wondered where Leon was, and what he was doing. She smiled to herself. It's not like she wouldn't see him again. She couldn't keep that guy away from her if she wanted to. He'd find her. She hummed a melody. She needed to write. She pulled out some sheets and began writting some new tunes.   
  
Hours had passed. It was nearly impossible for her to see her own writting anymore, so what else to do than sleep? She took off the clothes she was wearing and tossed on an extreamly large shirt she had for sleeping in. She eased herself into her bed, and into a peaceful sleep.  
  
A knock on her door started her out of bed. She didn't know how late it was. She couldn't see a damn thing. She russeled over to the door and said "Who's there?"  
  
"It's me Priss" Linna's voice said on the other side of the door. Priss opened it. She was greeted by a flashlight and a huge hug. "I was so worried about you!"  
  
Priss stood there and took the attention for a moment the pushed Linna off.   
  
"We didn't know if you made it... How did you make it? Oh I'm so glad you're here!" Linna continued.  
  
Priss watched the flaslight move around in Linna's excitement. This was rather amusing, even though it was the middle of the night. "I guess I'm just a survivor" She shrugged in a monotone response.  
  
"How did you destroy her? We saw the explosion..." Linna kept on asking questions.  
  
"I'm not to sure. My battery died, I thought I was dead. Moto saved me. It was like she just gave up." Priss answer siting donw on her bed again.  
  
"What do you mean?" Linna sat down beside her.  
  
"Like I said, I'm not sure" Priss sighed. "What are you doing here anyway?"  
  
"I had to try and find you..." Linna said.  
  
"Heh"  
  
"You're my best friend... an I..."  
  
"Linna, don't." Priss said simply.  
  
"Don't what?"  
  
"Don't finnish that thought, okay?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
Priss sighed again. She was glad she couldn't see Linna's face. She knew that Linna had that silly crush on her, but it was better left unsaid. If Linna confronted her on it she'd have to react.   
  
"You just don't want to hear that I care about you. If you think you could just disapear Priss, you can't. There are people who care about." Linna scolded Priss' lack of response. Priss still didn't answer this. She found when talking with Linna, sometimes it was easier just not to answer. Linna stayed silent for a long moment. She clicked off her flashlight. Priss' smirked to herself. She fell asleep dreaming about Leon comming to find her... and who showed up at her door. Her knight in shinning green armor. She almost wanted to laugh at her pun, but that would break the silence. She was just about to lay down when Linna spoke up.  
  
"In case anything like that ever happens again Priss..."  
  
"Hmmm?" Priss leaned back as orginally planned.  
  
"I have to say this so I don't forever regret it. I'm... I'm in love with you."  
  
Damn it. She had to say, didn't she? Now what? Priss found herself not responding at all. It was back to the silence. She wondered what kind of cute face Linna's was contorted into, waiting for Priss to say something. Anything. Again, she wanted to laugh.   
  
"What time is it?" Priss asked with no acknowledgemnt to the confession.  
  
"It's late. Or early. Somewhere between two and three" Linna answered.  
  
"Hmmm" Priss grunted, "Well then, if we're finnished I'm going back to bed."  
  
"Oh." Linna said, obviously confused and disapointed, "I guess I'll be going."  
  
"Where?" Priss scoffed playfully.  
  
"I ah... don't know. Back to my parents I suppose" Linna sounded depressed.  
  
"Nah." Priss smacked Linna on the arm waving her hand then patting the small messy bed next to her, "You're gonna stay here. No funny business though"  
  
"Hey, what do you think I am?" Linna glared in Priss' direction.  
  
Priss though for a second before deciding whether or not to answer this one.  
  
"A friend who's in love with me? You wouldn't believe the things that friends that are in love with you will try to do." This time she kinda chuckled at her joke.  
  
"Priss..." Linna layed down next to her. "Please don't tease me... I've never... felt like this before."  
  
"Alright Linna." Priss shrugged, "Goodnight"  
  
"No goodnight kiss?" Linna grinned.  
  
"Now who's joking around?"   
  
"Who said I was joking?"  
  
"Dream on." Priss rolled over and curled into her pillow. 


	2. Get it Togther!

Light shone in threw the wooden window from. Sylia swung her legs off the bed into her fuzzy soft slippers. She put on a designer house robe and left the little dusty bedroom. On her way to get a cup of coffee she notice Mackie was on the computer, typing away. She walk up behind him completely un-noticed. He was writting a response to a Nene Message. Nene was alive.   
  
"Where is she?" Sylia found herself asking out loud, and startling Mackie.   
  
After computing what sylia had just asked Mackie cheerfully responded "She's just out of Tokyo with the A.D. Police. Linna landed with her, but she doesn't think that Priss made it. She wants to see you."  
  
"Hmmm" Sylia thought about it, "Alright let her know I'll contact her soon."   
  
Mackie wrote that in the e-mail right away. Sylia turned and continued into the kitchen. She smiled. They weren't dead. And if they were here, Priss surely was. If any of them, she would have known if Priss was dead. Now how to possibly organize a meeting to give them they're petty cash reward, and request further services, and all while Tokyo was in rubble. Pouring the Vodka into her coffee she pondered this. Raising the cup to her mouth she noticed the bandage on her hand. She winced. All she ever wanted to do was stop what horrible thing her father had started, and now what has her life come to? If Nigel could get the parts to build new hardsuits...  
  
Priss glanced over at her bed. Linna was still in deep slumber, tangled in the sheets. It was kind of cute. Priss scoffed to herself 'Oh, come on- you know she's not you're type.' But her eyes lingered on Linna's figure. So stubborn, and so strong. No one is that strong though, Linna could be broken. Actually being broken is usually where strength comes from. Priss started to wonder what Linna's hurtful past could have possibly been. Couldn't have been anything like losing the love of your life to a boomers, and insanity. Fucking Boomers. They destroy everything.  
  
Linna moaned and rolled over, falling out of the bed with a thump. That woke her up. Priss couldn't hold back the laugh. Though she was able to cut it off rather quickly.  
  
"Nice move" She mocked. Linna blinked at Priss a bit stunned. It all came back to her in a flash. she went on a search for Priss, and found her. Here she was, still. She stood up.  
  
"I meant to do that" She brushed herself off and kicked off the remainder of tangled up sheets. "It's how I wake up in the morning." She boasted. Could she make up a worse excuse? She sighed.   
  
"Uh-huh" Priss continued to file threw her music files, as she was originally doing.   
  
Linna stumbled over next to her, "What are those? Are those the songs you sing?"  
  
"Yeah, some of them." Priss pulled out one. It was one she wrote over a year ago. She felt it could use a slight re-vamp, and it would be a perfect tune to a new song for her current mood. Linna just watched as she worked. She found it extreamly boring after a time.   
  
"So, Priss?" Linna interrupted her deep in work friend.  
  
"Yes?" Priss looked up from her desk.  
  
"What do you eat here?" Linna asked.  
  
"Hmmm" Priss tossed her work on the desk casually. "I guess I could go for some food, I'll show the country girl how it's done on the streets"  
  
A few minutes later they were about to loot a grocery store. "This isn't anything new." Linna looked at the destroyed store. Priss walked right in and picked up what was salvageable for eating, and carriable. Linna grabbed some of what Priss told her to and a case of beer on top of that.  
  
Nene peeked out of her door. She didn't want to be attacked by Leon again, but she wanted something to snack on. He wasn't anywhere to be seen, so she hopped out of the room and found her way to the lounge. Bagels and cream cheese, perfect. She grabbed 3 serving and turned to go back to her room. Leon was towering over her.   
  
"You didn't mean that earlier did you?" He asked, "I mean, you were just pullin my chain right?"  
  
She sighed, she wasn't sure what to answer. It was annoying to be proded about Priss. She ducked around him and kept walking. She was glad Mackie wasn't like that. Mackie was a nice boy who understood when things went wrong.   
  
Leon slammed his fist against the coffee machine. Coffee began spraying everywhere. He tucked his hands in his pockts and left the hotel. How could Priss not have made it? They were doing so well. He'd of had her in the sack in no time. Not that that's all he wanted, he was just looking forward to it. Priss was a goddess.  
  
Sylia knocked on the crumby hotel door. This was such low quality for scum bags, much less police. It was early afternoon now. She had decided to round up her girls shortly after hearing that the Boomer production had been upped 50% for rebuilding the city. The new CEO was far more ignorant that Mason had been, and knew nothing of the trouble Genom was going to cause. As long as there were Boomers, and Sylia was alive, there would be Knight Sabers.   
  
Nene called threw the door "Leon?"  
  
Sylia cocked her head lightly "No, not at all."  
  
Nene threw open the door, "Sylia!"  
  
"That glad to see me?" Sylia teased.  
  
"well... er.. " Nene refused to act like she adored Sylia, after all Sylia might get the wrong idea "Are you going to pay us for that last mission?"  
  
Sylia walked in the door and Nene closed it. She turned back to face Nene again, "Of course. We need to have a meeting. Tonight. If you join me in getting Linna I'll treat you to dinner on top of the mission's pay."  
  
"Wait, wait, wait..." Nene shook her head, "What's the rush on the meeting? Tokyo doesn't even exsist right now..."  
  
"We'll talk about it when we're all together." Sylia frowned.  
  
"Hmmm.... So what kind of dinner?" Nene grabbed her small pile of stuff, and prepared to vacate the lwsey hotel.  
  
Mackie handed Nigel a wrench. He had almost finnished the first suit. He was obviously unhappy about the job, but wouldn't say it. Mackie was rather sure it was because of the color of the suit. It was the white one. Sure enough, Sylia was too stubborn to stay out of one. She had told Mackie that she wanted hers done first because her's was the only one left intact, just needing repairs. Next they were to work on creating a new one for Linna.   
  
Priss fell back down onto her bed, closing her eyes. She was bored. With her band gone, she couldn't have them practice with her. With the knight Sabers gone she couldn't go beat the shit out of Boomers. What would she do now? Linna sat down next to her.  
  
"About what I said last night Priss..." Linna brought up very shyly, "We can just forget about it, I just had to..."  
  
"Had to give it a shot?" Priss opened one eye.   
  
"Yeah, I guess..." Linna's face was red again.  
  
"True, I could have been..." Priss sat up, "Have you and Sylia talked about me?"  
  
"Why sure, you are a Knight Saber too you know." Linna answered rather confused.  
  
"No... I mean about you're crush on me." Priss said it very coldly. It made Linna wanna dig herself into a hole, and never crawl out again.  
  
"No, Never. Why?"  
  
"Heh" Priss grunted and layed back down.  
  
"I mean I think she knew... but I never said anything."  
  
"Of course she knew. That bitch knows more about us than you'd want to imagine. Fucking stalker." Priss rolled over, turning her back to Linna.  
  
"What do you mean?" Linna leaned over Priss to ask. Priss didn't respond that time. Linna pondered for a second. "Is Sylia... you know?" She asked uncomfortably.  
  
"Yeah." Priss sighed.   
  
"Are you sure?" Linna asked in almost a hopeful way. Maybe she would have someone to talk to about all this stuff.  
  
"If Sylia goes for girls?" Priss made it real clear this time in hopes to drop it, "Yeah."  
  
"How do you know?" Linna questioned further. Sometimes it seemed like questions were all that came out of Linna. Time to stop anwsering any of them. Priss relaxed and tried to think fo something that made her happy. Nothing came to mind. Hell, maybe informing Linna about everything she and Sylia had been through might make a few hours amuzing. Linna had shut up on que. To break the nice positive silence, or to be her normal cold self. Fuck it, why not?  
  
"Do you remember how Sylia and I met?" Priss asked.  
  
"Not really, something about getting you out of trouble..." Linna recalled.  
  
"She saw me being a viscious bitch to a bunch of cops. She followed me. She studied me, and found out all she could about me, then she met me in a bar one night. That's where she asked me to join her." Priss remembered it all vividly. she had written quite a few songs to the way she felt in those days.   
  
"That's right. I remember her saying that now." Linna nodded.  
  
"Yes, but what she left out is that she suduced me, Linna. She had me drunk off my ass, blindfolded me and took me home with her." Priss shook her head, "I'm sure you're imagination can fill in the rest of the night..."  
  
Linna jaw dropped in shock. She blinked several times, then closed her mouth. Sylia had taken advantage of Priss? How was that possible? She had no idea.  
  
"I had never cared about a damn thing until that night" Priss could feel the songs all comming back to her.  
  
"You mean you..." Linna couldn't word her question.  
  
"I had been as obsessed with Sylia as you are with me. I wasn't nearly as ashamed of it though." Priss looked at Linna with sincerity in her deep brown eyes.  
  
"Then what happened?" Linna was completely tangled in this story of Priss' past. Priss never told anyone anything about her past. It was with Sylia... maybe that's why.  
  
"She didn't really want me. I was a sex toy, and her little warrior princess. That's all.The closer I wanted to be the colder she got. I guess my unwillingness to become a little princess pushed her away, or she got herself in too deep and couldn't hang. Either way, she drifted. After a that my lust fell into nothing but a deep loathing for her. Nene joined to Team. I would have left Sylia a long time ago if she hadn't put such a young pathedic girl on the team. Nene would have been killed without me. So I stayed. Though the Sylia I had once known her as was dead to me. My songs were sung, and rumor got around that I had been in love. Rumor got around that he died. If only they knew the truth..." Priss sneered.   
  
"My god." Linna gawked, "So... Sylia was the guy that died? I never would have...."  
  
"Mmm-hmmm." Priss hummed, "Well, that answers you're question."  
  
"Priss..." Linna hugged Priss tightly, "I have one more question..."   
  
Priss didn't feel the need to respond at all to that. What else was new?  
  
"Why did you pick me?"  
  
Priss wasn't even quite sure why she picked Linna. She was so stubborn, and so strong willed. She had a pretty face, and a nice body. Linna was attractive, in a very powerful way. Priss was drawn to this, in some strange way. She liked the competition, and the rush it gave her.   
  
"If you won't answer that then maybe... Do you love Leon?"   
  
"Hey-Woah-ho... Just because I got kissy with the guy doesn't mean I love him." Priss defended right away, "I've kissed a zillion men other than him."  
  
"How do you feel about me Priss?" Linna asked yet another question.  
  
"Hey cut it out." Priss punched Linna lightlty, "You said only one more and I answered it."  
  
From the Punch Priss' hand landed lightly on Linna's. She took Linna's and into her own. Linna layed down next to her, thier hands tightly grasped together. Linna didn't ask anymore questions, and Priss didn't start anymore stories. They just layed there thinking about what thier futures might behold. 


	3. Constantly Changing!

"Don't you think this is just a *Little* crazy, Sylia?" Nene yawned, noticing the sky becomming a light blue in the horizon, "Jeez, the sun's comming up even..."  
  
"Hush Nene." Sylia scolded, "If there's anyone living in this area, they're better off asleep, plus We're almost there-just around this corner"  
  
"Yeah, yeah... you keep saying that. Do you even know where we're going?" Nene follwed her silver haired leader through the darkness in Old Tokyo. Sadly Old Tokyo look almost better than the New one...  
  
Sylia shown her flashlight beam on a large pink trailor. The name Priss spray painted accross the side. It look the same as the last time either of them had seen it. Sylia knew that if Priss had returned, she'd be in there. Since Linna had disapeared only a day after being with her parents, Linna would most likely be here too. Or at least she would have tried here, and there'd be evedience of where she went next. Up at the door of the trailor she had to wonder whether she would knock or just open it. If she knocked, Priss may ignore her. Actually, there was a good chance of it. If she didn't, that was just playing rude.  
  
She decided a compromise was fitting. She knocked lightly and then cracked open the door to peer in. She shown her flash light around, at first she didn't see anyone. Then accross the trailor, She could see that someone was alseep in the bed. She stepped in the door way. Nene was trying to get a look in from behind her, but having rather poor luck.  
  
"Ahem..." Sylia said in hopes of waking the bed sleeper up. It worked like a charm. Priss Jumped out of bed, like she was just caught doing something wrong by a parent.   
  
"Who? Sylia is that you?" Priss squinted at the flashlight beam in her face.  
  
"I'm glad you're here Priss" Sylia smiled. Nene hopped in behind her finnaly to get a look.  
  
"Priss! I can't believe you made it? How did you do it? Wow! Priss!" Nene cooed happily, forgeting how tierd she was for the moment.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Priss growled.  
  
"What's going on?" Linna sat up in Priss' bed. Sylia raised an eyebrow. How interesting. Priss allowed Linna to sleep with her?   
  
"Hello Linna, and congradulations" Sylia smiled and nodded in Linna's direction. The sun was up enough to see everyone elses face now. Linna blushed furiously at this, "I mean making it back in one piece."  
  
" Thank you Sylia! Nene? Hey!" Linna wanted to jumped out of bed and go hug both of them, but she was missing her outfit, and even though it wasn't like they hadn't seen her naked before, she didn't want to make a scene.   
  
"Arrrgh..." Priss turned around and glared at Linna.  
  
"What?" Linna asked, truely unsure why she was just glared at.  
  
Turning back to Sylia and stomping forward, "Get out of here..." She sneered.  
  
Sylia took one last look at Linna. She was still in the bed, with the blankets wrapped up around her. Linna would have normally had a larger hello. It certainly took them long enough. She nodded at Priss with a sly smile, "I understand. If the both of you would meet me down the street in the old Starbucks as soon as possible I'd apprieciate it."   
  
Priss held her steady glare. Nene hopped out, and Sylia strode out behind her. They continued on thier way to the Starbucks.   
  
"They weren't... "Nene asked Sylia, not quite sure if she got the whole situation right, "You know...were they?"  
  
"Why Nene? Does that kind of thing intrest you?" Sylia looked at Nene curiously.  
  
Nene freaked out, "No! It just seemed wierd. I mean I figured Linna swung that way and maybe you... but Priss? I guess she is kind of Dyke-ish..."  
  
"Nene." Sylia scolded again.  
  
"What? It's true... but she did have that thing going on with Leon. LEON!" Nene babbled, "He is going to be so happy she's alive. Well... maybe not if she's... "  
  
Sylia rolled her eyes as Nene babbled all the way to the brokendown coffee house.  
  
"God damn it" Priss punched a wall the her trailor.   
  
Linna stared at Priss, who was so upset now. Was she regretting the very little that she and Linna had done the night previous? Or was it just the fact that that was Sylia. She looked for her clothes, and found them with ease. She dressed silently just watching Priss fume. Priss ate a bit of the food supply, glareing the whole time. She offered some to Linna without a word, and Linna took it politely and ate as well.  
  
"Are we going to go meet them?" Linna asked after a long while.  
  
"Go ahead if you want to." Priss answered.  
  
"What's wrong?" Linna begged Priss to open up again, because there was obviously something bothering her. "Is it about me? Are you mad about me?"  
  
"No. Just leave me alone, alright?" Priss snapped.  
  
"Then it's about Sylia? If you cared so much about her how can you just turn it off like that? She's probably just trying to pay us!" Linna snapped back.  
  
"So let her keep her money. I don't want to deal with it. She's going to ask us to put on hardsuits again, Linna. She's not done until we're dead. Like all of her other little toys." Priss argued.  
  
"It's not like that. I know it." Linna stood up to Priss, "And you know it too!"  
  
"Oh really?" Priss snarled, "If you know me so well, then why do you always have so many damned questions? huh?"  
  
"I like being a Knight Saber. I like having a reason to wake up in the morning, and a reason to keep a strong will to fight. It may not be easy, and it may not be safe- but I will put my life on the line, and that's not Sylia's choice. It's mine. Can you really say you don't want to be a Knight Saber anymore?"  
  
"I don't want to be a Knight Saber anymore." Priss said with a serious straight face, keeping eye contact with Linna the whole time. It was a perfect lie.  
  
"I know that's not true!" Linna barked.  
  
"Just leave." Priss sighed.  
  
"What?" Linna said very meakly.  
  
"Just go. Get out of here. Go be a Knight Saber." Priss waved her hand at Linna.  
  
"Wait... Priss..." Linna whimpered.  
  
Priss turned and started sifting threw the piles of sheet music again. She ignored Linna's existence. Linna walked out the door. She walked over to the Starbucks. Sylia was sipping on a cup of coffee she had made herself, and Nene was passed out on the table top. Linna walked in and sat down at the table. When Linna sat down Nene woke up. She stretched and looked around.  
  
"Hey, where's Priss?" Nene asked.  
  
"She didn't want to come..." Linna sighed.  
  
"She's angry. I understand. I guess I would be too." Sylia smiled at Linna. Linna wasn't sure how to take that after the information she knew now. Did Sylia know that she knew? Was Priss right, did Sylia know more about them than they knew about themselves?  
  
"So can we go nooooow?" Nene whinned, "I'd really like to get some sleep."  
  
Sylia nodded again and took another sip from her Coffee. "Linna would you mind joining us? I was planning on holding a team meeting last night, but now it'll have to wait until we can get it all together. Nigel and Mackie await our return."  
  
"She's gonna pay us too. When do I get that dinner?" Nene added.  
  
"Sure, I guess..." Linna said to Sylia.  
  
"Good." Sylia stood up, "Nene, will you take Linna to the car?"   
  
"Uh... If I can remember where it is"  
  
"I'm sure you will"  
  
"What are you going to do?" Linna asked.  
  
"I was going to go get Priss" Sylia answered and turned to walk out.  
  
"I don't think she wants to see you right now Sylia..." Linna followed Sylia out. Nene hurried after the both of them.   
  
"Don't worry Linna. Just go with Nene, okay?" Sylia smiled and winked at Linna. Linna became annoyed with this.  
  
"No. I mean it. She's not too happy about anything having to do with you." Linna stood in Sylia's path.  
  
"Mmmmm." Sylia pondered this a moment, and then growing frusterated with it herself she looked back up at Linna, "You may think you know what you're talking about Linna, but whatever Priss has told you is not true. What have I ever done to harm any of you?"   
  
Linna held her place, "You know what you've done."   
  
"Nene. Do you think you could find you're way back to the car on you're own?" Sylia asked without taking her eyes off of Linna.   
  
"All alone!? Sylia! I could be attacked and raped or something." Nene squeeled.  
  
"Well if you stay here Nene you might be subjected to refrences to you know girls with other girls, or even worse you might actually see it." Sylia still didn't budge, even in her sarcasim with Nene.  
  
"Ack! Are you serious!?" Nene whimpered.  
  
"Mmm-hmmm" Sylia nodded.  
  
Without another word Nene ran off in the direction off the car.  
  
"Why'd you send Nene off?" Linna accused, "You didn't want her to find out about anymore of you're dirty past?"  
  
"What do you know of my past Linna?" Sylia finnaly looked away, "Whatever Priss told you was a lie."  
  
"So you never suduced her?" Linna glared. She was starting to doubt herself. Sylia was acting so upset by this... but Priss had been so sincere.   
  
"No." Sylia sighed, "That's not what I'd call it."  
  
"Did you ever... " Linna found herself unable to say the words 'take advantage of her'. just because it sounded so stupid in context. Priss. Did you ever take advantage of Priss?  
  
"Sure, I've slept with Priss." Sylia could feel a pounding in her head again. Slowly churning. "Quite a few times."  
  
"Did you know how she felt about you?" Linna could feel her mind drifting. It was imagining Priss and Sylia in a passionate embrace. Who was the dominant one? Sylia must have been, after all she was behind it all right?   
  
"The same as I felt about her, a young couple of women in love." Sylia stepped away and put her hand to her forehead. These headaches came far too often.   
  
"You loved her?" Linna blinked. Priss made it sound as if Sylia had just used and abused her.  
  
"Yes. And I still do." Sylia faked a smile at Linna, not because she was lying, but it's hard to smile when it feels like there's a vice on you're temples.  
  
"I-" Linna wasn't sure what to say next.   
  
"Now if you walk out to the nearset street, north from here..." Sylia paused, "That's where Nene and the car will be waiting." She then walked past Linna straight to Priss' trailor. She walked right in and took a seat on Priss' bed.  
  
"I'm not comming back, Sylia" Priss shook her head not even looking up from the piece she was working on.  
  
"That's not why I'm here." Sylia said simply. She was wishing for a nice bottle of bacardi right then. There didn't look to be anything. Priss didn't even bother to ask why. Sylia chose to ignore the headache, there was more important business to attend to, "Mmmm hasn't changed a bit in here."  
  
"The fridge is a boomer" Priss noted outloud.  
  
"Well I was reffering to the random papers on the floor, and the spary paint and pictures posted up everywhere, but I would suppose the refridgerator being a boomer is a change." Sylia looked at Priss. She was really trying hard to ignore Sylia.  
  
"Why are you here?" Priss sighed after a long silence.  
  
"I know I never really explained myself to you, Priss... but there were reasons."   
  
"Oh no. Not going into this. It's long gone and burried Sylia. Leave it there."Priss shook her head, still not looking up at her.  
  
"Is it though?" Sylia stated, "From the attitude I just got from Linna..."   
  
Priss finnaly looked up in a glare.  
  
"I thought so." Sylia smirked. Priss glared harder. It sounded like a low growl came from her too. Sylia quit smirking. She stood up, and brushed herself off. "I'm sure Linna will fit your needs better than I ever could. Do you want your pay mailed here?"  
  
Priss stood up too, fuming. She had no motorcycle to go escape on. She had nowhere to run. Her flight instinct wasn't an option. She smashed both of her fist down on the desk. "Fuck you Sylia. I hope the millions of people you've had a hand in destroying rip you to part when you finnally get to hell, you bitch."  
  
Sylia froze stareing at Priss' angry words leaving her mouth. She could feel her entire body trembling within. Her headache paused, like the eye of the storm. Then with Priss' following silence it came back ten times worse than the headache from a couple nights ago. She blacked out.  
  
When she opened her eyes Priss was sitting on the bed next to her. She wasn't in Priss's trailor, but her own bedroom. Priss was just stareing off into space. Sylia remembered the last thing she heard, why was she here with Priss now?  
  
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ -----------------It's a flashback squigly  
  
  
Sylia was stareing at Priss in shock. Her hand was trembling, and her eyes wer glassy. Priss was rather pleased with herself. She got a reaction out of her, she hit a point she knew would hurt. Sylia fell to her knees and started crying into her hands. When Priss moved a little closer she could here the words in between the sobs. Sylia was cusing herself out far worse than Priss had just done. She was threating her own life. She was pulling out every little detail she could to throw in her own face. Priss quickly found herself very uneasy. She'd never seen Sylia give much of a reaction, much less this. Had Sylia always been like this?  
  
She dug threw the food and pulled out a beer. Sylia was an alcholic, maybe this would help. She offered her the beer. When Sylia didn't react to her offering she just sat it down in front of her. She was begining to get scared. The things Sylia were saying were really, really morbid. She reached out and grabbed the bottle. It was almost as if she didn't even know Priss was there anymore. She cracked it open and chugged half of it down. Then she stood up. Priss felt slightly relived, the alchol helped. Sylia's face was streaked with tears, but she still had the gentle soft features that made her so beautiful. She smashed the beer bottle on the countertop, sobbing again while she did so. Glass and beer sprayed everywhere.  
  
"SYLIA!" Priss yelled "I'm sorry, snap out of it! SYLIA!"  
  
"Why did you leave me papa?" Sylia asked, "Why did you do such horrible things to me? Why did you make boomers out of me?"   
  
"Sylia! You're dad's dead. It's not you're fault! SYLIA!" Priss walked up to Sylia and grabbed ahold of her, embracing her from behind.  
  
"I tried. I swear it. I loved them. I loved them all, I didn't want it to happen that way. "  
  
"Sylia... you're dad's gone. I'm Priss. C'mon Sylia. You need serious help. Sylia..." Priss begged.  
  
"Priss... "  
  
"That's right Priss..."  
  
"I'm so very sorry. I never meant to hurt you the way I did. If I hadn't... I'm sorry." Sylia sobbed again. Priss could feel the warm water on her cheeks now. Was she crying?  
  
She begged Sylia agian, "Please Sylia. Everything will be fine. You need some help."  
  
"I still love you. I love all of you. I don't want to hurt you all anymore. I don't want to be my father, I just wanted to stop what he started. I- I-...don't deserve to live. I'm the cause of thousands of lost lives."  
  
"No... no. I was just angry Sylia. You've saved more than you've killed. You do great things! Don't talk like this...." Priss decided she must definately be crying because her eyes were all blurry.   
  
Sylia stabbed herself with the broken bottle. She fell into Priss' arms. Priss looked down at the now bloody wound, then to Sylia's face.  
  
"Please don't let anyone see what I've done..." Was the last thing she said. Priss hurried around finding what she could to bandage the wound. She covered the blood with a bathrobe she never used, and carried Sylia out to where she knew they would have parked. She told Linna and Nene that she must've passed out from exhaustion or something. When she got her home she had Nigel help her with it. Nigel was the only other one that would know of Sylia's... behavoir. He didn't say much about it. He just stopped the bleeding and patched her up. He looked at her for a long while then shook his head and left the room.   
  
Priss and Linna stayed with her. Linna didn't know what all the fuss was about.  
  
"What really happened back there?" Linna prodded Priss.  
  
"Just what I said. I told her I wasn't comming back and she passed out." Priss repeated.  
  
"Are you okay?" Linna asked.  
  
"I'm fine." Priss said monotonously.  
  
Linna smiled and pecked Priss on the cheek.  
  
"Hey" Priss looked at Linna a little shocked.  
  
"What? Whenever I ask for a kiss you tell me I'm dreaming- so why not just grab one when I can?"   
  
Priss chuckled, "Cute."  
  
"Why thank you, I try" Linna grinned. She certainly had a way of cheering Priss up, even if it wasn't very obvious on the exterior.. Priss stood up and faced Linna. She held a deep emotionless stare. Then she smiled at Linna.  
  
"C'mhere you" She grabbed out at Linna and pulled her closer, and planted a quick kiss right on her lips. Then she waited for a reaction. Linna swooned. It was one of the funniest things she could have expected. A swoon over a little kiss on the lips, it was halliarious. She wrapped her arms tightly around Linna's waist. It really felt good to be with a woman again, men were just too... much like herself.   
  
"This is a change..." Linna whispered into Priss' ear. Priss backed off, and sat back down. It was a change, and she was glad. She needed one.   
  
Hours later Sylia woke up.  
  
"You need help." Priss said finnaly.  
  
"For?" Sylia squinted her eyebrows very confused.  
  
"Everything. All that you said back there." Priss answered.  
  
"I never said anything. You were the one who shot out at me." Sylia reminded.  
  
"After that." Priss looked at Sylia with concern.  
  
"I passed out." Sylia said, "That happens when the headaches are that bad...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to give you a scare if I did."  
  
"No." Priss stood up and closed the door, she turned around and said, "You starting yelling at yourself about killing people, and your dad, and how you were sorry for everything. Then you tried to kill yourself in my trailor. That's why you need help. not because of headaches."  
  
"Nonsense." Sylia stated evenly.  
  
"What do you mean nonsense? If you could have only seen yourself Sylia... You really...scared me." Priss whispered.  
  
Sylia looked down at the stab wound. She had broken down in front of someone. It was true. She poked it a bit. It hurt worse than the hand wounds usually do, but not as bad as other have. She stood up and walked up to Priss.   
  
"I'm not getting help." Sylia put a hand on Priss' shoulder, "And I'd apprieciate it if we could keep this between just you and I."  
  
"But-"  
  
"There is no but. If I go back to a psycyatrist I won't have the time I need to deal with far more important things. I'm sorry you had to see that, I don't know what happened." Sylia patted the shoulder and then walked for the door Priss had just closed.  
  
"You had said something..." Priss' voice cracked, which worried her so she paused.  
  
"What?" Sylia glanced over her shoulder casually.  
  
"You had said that you had to "hurt" me, if you hadn't... and then you never finnished. What was the end Sylia?" Priss stood there in the most vulnerable state she had been in, in almost a year now.  
  
"I don't remember saying that." Sylia bowed her head.  
  
"SYLIA!" Priss screamed.  
  
"If I hadn't pushed you away we could never have worked together the way we have. If I brought myself into battle you might make a mistake in trying to protect me. I've always tried to protect you all."  
  
"That's it?" Priss longed for a better, or more realistic reason, like she'd always believed.  
  
"Yes, Priss. I still love you to this day, it just can never be. Understand?" Sylia opened the door, and with no response from Priss she walked out. "Oh hi Linna!"  
  
Priss only had to wait a few seconds and Linna was in the room.  
  
"You were eves dropping weren't you?" Priss sighed, sitting down on the bed.  
  
"Not until you screamed... " Linna answered, she sat down next to Priss.  
  
"And?"  
  
"And what? I did hear the rest, you guys were right by the door."  
  
"No, I mean what do you think?"  
  
"I think Sylia means what she says." Linna answered. "But I think she's missing out if she feels that way. No job, no matter how important it was to me could ever stop me from... "She blushed noticing she was about to announce her crush again.   
  
"Not even the Knight Sabers?" Priss raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Without you, what is the Knight Sabers?" Linna hugged Priss, "Where's the competetion?"  
  
"Heh."   
  
"How romantic." Linna teased, "Without you even the most important job in the world to me doesn't matter... heh."  
  
"I've never considered myself romantic." Priss laughed.  
  
"Hey guys!" Nene poked her head in the room, very cautiously in hopes of not catching Linna sn Priss touching or kissing or any of that icky stuff, she was lucky. "Sylia just said she wants to hold the meeting in about ten minutes! Did you see Mackie? He said he was going to go make sandwitches but I can't find him..."  
  
Priss just stared at Nene, who was her perky self as usual.  
  
"I think Nigel grabbed him." Linna said.  
  
"Okay, thanks. See you guys in ten minutes." She waved and ran off towards the garage.  
  
When she walked in she saw the most spectacular hardsuit she had ever seen. It was green, so it had to be Linna's. The design was exquisite, even less bulky, and more weapons. Next to it hung Sylia's with variations. Nigel was working on another one, and Mackie was handing him the tools.  
  
"Does this mean Sylia wants to continue with the Knight Sabers?" Nene gawked at what she saw. Mackie noticed her and hurrried over.   
  
"Nene, I'll have the sandwitches done in just a few minutes. Nigel just needed me for a minute." He rationalized.  
  
"Oh." She couldn't stop stareing at the new hardsuit. She wanted one, it was so pretty and looked so powerful. "What's that..." She pointed at the one nigel was building.  
  
"That's you're new hardsuit..." He said innocently.  
  
"Yey! Is it gonna be like Linna's? With all those new features."  
  
"Kinda. It will have diffrent features." Mackie nodded.  
  
"This is gonna be so cooool" She grinned.  
  
"Mackie." Nigel said. Mackie hurried back over and handed him another part. The suits were going togther fast. 


	4. Love Sucks!

Author talking again: Hey thanks for the reviews... and feedback. As for the spelling, I have a zillion poor excuses like my spellcheck disapeared.. grrr... and I can't find one worth a damn online. Lastly, my editor and co-writter of "The New Episode" has been extreamly lazy/busy due to her school and boyfriend. ::steams:: Maybe I can get her to edit it eventually... then I'll re-post it all with the fixed spelling and grammar. She's pretty good at fixing it. Anyway, trying to take feedback in mind here...  
  
Sylia stood in front of her team mates. The three of them were scrunched together on her couch waiting for her to get to what the rush was all about. She paced a moment, trying to get her words together. Then she paused and faced her commarads.  
  
"You are all probably wondering what my rush is," Sylia spoke, closing her eyes and just letting the words flow. "Genom has more than doubled the production of boomers, and this will mean double the trouble."  
  
"Why would they do that after boomers just ruined the city? They'd have to be crazy!" Linna blurted out.  
  
Sylia sighed, "It is, but the public is easily manipulated. They found a scape goat, and-"  
  
"The Knight Sabers?" Priss questioned raising an eyebrow, "Is that why it's so urgent we are all here?"  
  
"No. Not at all. The Military, and the A.D. Police, actually." Sylia smiled at Priss, "They've put a ban on use of Boomers for anything other than simple services."   
  
"I've heard about the blame on the A.D. Police. They say that it was because the A.D. Police went on strike, that there was no one there to control the boomers when the virus started." Nene added to what Sylia was explaining.  
  
"So the people think it was the lack of the A.D. Police doing thier job that caused it all..." Linna gasped, shocked at how untrue that really was.  
  
"Yeah, and they also think it was a virus that drove all the boomers mad, they know nothing of Galetea. She was just another rouge boomer to the public." Nene informed.   
  
Sylia could just see the news reports, and all the lies they fed the people...just like before. Damn Genom. She gritted her teeth momentarily until Nene had silenced and they awaited her speech to continue.   
  
"These boomers will have the same defects as before, if not worse ones now." Sylia handed them an article on the new boomer production, "There's still a war to fight, and I wanted to know if you're with me. Though, I understand if any of you do wish to leave."She aimed that last line at Priss.  
  
"So, it'll be like before?" Linna asked.  
  
"Yes, I will call you in when I rouge boomer is reported." Sylia nodded.  
  
"And the new hardsuits?" Nene grinned, "Bet they'll be even better than before... huh Sylia?"  
  
"You peeked didn't you?" Sylia smirked at Nene.  
  
"Well... I was looking for Mackie and-"Nene defended right away.  
  
"It's fine Nene, I hope you liked what you saw." Sylia chuckled lightly.  
  
"Can we see them?" Linna piped in.  
  
"Soon enough Linna. I'd like to have Nigel finish them before we show them off." Sylia answered, "And as for your pay." She tossed three envelopes out on the coffee table. Linna and Nene grabbed thiers right away. Priss just roled her eyes, she wasn't having of any of this very well.  
  
"Wow! Yeah this was worth it! I could buy a house with this!" Nene cheered.  
  
Linna gasped, "How can you give us this much money?"  
  
Priss' curiosity was starting to tug at her. She wanted to grab the other envelope... but what was it worth anyways? Sylia was just trying to hook her back in. She stood up, she grabbed the envolope and walked back to the room she was temporarily staying in. Linna called out her name as she walked away, but it didn't stop her. She was getting away from it all, now.  
  
"What do you think happened to her up there?" Nene asked curiously.  
  
"I'm not sure... " Linna sighed, "But I'm worried about her"  
  
"I'd like to offer you a few more days bed and breakfeast until Nigel has finnished what he's working on. Would you mind staying around?" Sylia asked.  
  
"Oh no not at all! This place cetainly beats that crumby ol' hotel!" Nene tucked her envelope into her personal hammer space.  
  
"Or my Parents place... yick" Linna stuck out her tongue.   
  
"Good." Sylia smiled and cocked her head cheerfully as she would do when trying to sell something to a costomer at the Silky Doll. She then walked back to Priss' quarters and pulled the knock lightly walk right in thing again. Priss was sprawled out on the bed, the envelope unopened and sitting on the nightstand beside her. She didn't glare at Sylia, but didn't greet her warmly either.  
  
"You are persistant, I give you that" Priss said evenly.  
  
"Mmmmmm I suppose so." Sylia agreed.  
  
"How you feeling?" Priss asked with no concern in her voice what so ever.  
  
"I don't hear that often." Sylia walked over and sat in a space on the bed faceing away from the sprawling Priss.  
  
"There's never clear answers with you." Priss stated.  
  
"You aren't much better, you know." Sylia pointed out.  
  
That put it back to silence. The silence lasted ages, or at least until Linna let herself in.  
  
"I'm sorry if I'm interupting anything..." She appologized.  
  
"No, not at all. I was just about to leave." Sylia stood up. She walked past Linna, and out the door with only the sence of mystery left in her wake.  
  
"Are you really going to quit?" Linna asked with the ut-most disapointment in her voice. Priss didn't answer. Linna wondered what was on Priss' mind. It wasn't unusual for her to be quiet, but what kind of things went on in her head? Did she think about how much she hated her life? Did she think about how much she missed her past? Or regreted it? Or did she think about positive things like where her future might be going? Linna could never know, it was like Priss was in a completely diffrent world.   
  
She asked, "Would it be okay if I still stay with you... while you're here at least?"   
  
Priss moved over on the bed to give Linna room, if she wanted. Figureing that as enough of an answer, Linna layed down next to Priss. She wanted to know so much, but knew now wasn't the time to ask. What would Priss do with the money? Nene was right it was plenty enough to buy a house. She couln't imagine Priss buying a house though. Maybe she'd tour the world singing her songs.   
  
"You're being awfully quiet" Priss broke the lingering silence.  
  
"I was just thinking." Linna turned on her side to look at Priss.  
  
"Uh-oh. Don't hurt yourself"Priss joked, poking Linna's nose.  
  
"What, you don't think?" It was the perfect way to anwer one of the questions on her mind, without sounding like an overly obsessive stalker.  
  
"Hmmm,"Priss hummed.  
  
"Too hard of a question for you?" Linna proped herself up with her elbow.  
  
"Do I think?" Priss laughed, "Come on."   
  
Linna blinked at that answer. It answered absolutly nothing. Priss was really good at avoiding reavealing anything about herself.  
  
"I don't want you to go..." Linna sighed. After priss didn't say anything to it again, she grew quickly annoyed. If Priss wanted to ignore her disapointment, then she could have the other end of it too, "But at least now I've finnaly beat you. Now I'll be the number one Knight Saber."  
  
Priss looked at her. She still didn't say anything but her eyes darted back and forth slightly, trying to read Linna's face. Linna grinned. Priss threw her off guard then because she smiled back. Did that mean it back fired? Priss was happy for Linna being the best? That wasn't how it was suppose to work at all.  
  
"Why are you smiling?" Linna begged for an answer to this.   
  
"I was going to stay, but now, I think maybe I'll let you be 'the number one Knight Saber'" Priss continued to watch Linna's reaction with intrest, "Since it's that important to you, an all."  
  
Linna felt like such a fool. She tried to think quick, she was just trying to get Priss to stay. "No. I'd rather have you fighting by my side..." She finnaly uttered.  
  
Priss was shocked by the surge of emotion that struck threw her body. Like an urge to write a song with that as a lyric. She could see Linna's hope that she hadn't just ruined it, that she still had a chance. She never gave up, and that was one of the most beautiful things about her. Priss pulled her closer for a second time that day. She placed her face in Linna's hair, which smelled sweet, much like Sylia's. She had probably just used Sylia's Shampoo.   
  
She spoke quietly and sincerely from that stirring emotion within, "I'll fight by your side until the day that I die."  
  
It was so unlike her to make such a promise, but she knew it was true. She would even fight by Nene's side to the death. She wouldn't let another Knight Saber fall before she did, and if it happend it wouldn't be without regret. She'd wear that suit of armour again and again, no matter how much she hated it, just to save her friends.   
  
Nene sat on the couch chatting with Mackie about a new program she was creating. It would make hacking even quicker, easier, safer and more efficient. He was clinging onto her every word as she showed him her progress on the little laptop screen.   
  
"That amazing Nene!" He applauded, "You're so smart."  
  
"Hehe. Yeah. I thought it was pretty clever." She shut down the computer and closed the laptop, "And it might help with taking down Genom for good."  
  
"Is that what we want to do?" Mackie asked.  
  
"Why not? They seem to be the cause of everything bad that happens to us, or Tokyo." Nene explained, "Buying out your father's company, the earthquake, Rouge boomers, Galetea... and you wouldn't believe some of the stuff I've read that they do in fanfictions!"   
  
"What's fanfictions? Is that a magazine, or newspaper?" Mackie blinked.  
  
"No, no, no. People write this junk based on shows, or characters they like and post it up on the internet. They do some pretty wierd, but creative stuff..." Nene remembered one fanfiction she read about the Knight Sabers, where the red one had fallen in love with the White ones little brother an they lived happily ever after. She grined. Too bad that wasn't real huh?  
  
"So it's like stories?" Mackie nodded, "That's very neat I'll have to find some fanfictions."  
  
"You should... Just be careful most of them are romance. Priss and Leon, Sylia and Nigel... you know. People expand on what they've seen."  
  
"But Priss and Leon were together, and so were Sylia and Nigel... well at least I think so, even though they don't talk about it. What about you Nene? Do people write about you?"  
  
"Ummm...." Nene thought about it. They did, alot, but never much more than her being a computer geek, and the romance ones. "Not really..."   
  
"That's too bad. You'd make a great story character." Mackie tried to cheer her up about it, completely oblivious to her little white lie.  
  
Sylia happened to over-hear the conversation from the kitchen. She smiled to herself. 'It looks like everyone is finding happiness now' she thought to herself. She looked down at her hand, it was completly healed now. The wound in her abdomin would be healing in no time too, and hopefully no more would happen. She had a certain sense of calmness with all the people she cared about in her house. She poured some more liquer into the glass.   
  
Nigel walked into the doorway, "The third suit is done. Do you want a fourth?".  
  
"Not right now." Sylia took a sip from the glass, "Thank you, Nigel."   
  
"Yeah, you know where I am. Just let me know." He waved his hand and left the room.  
  
She took another drink. Nigel. She loved him, and wished he would express the emotions back... but he would never. He cared about her, and that was enough. She smiled and took another drink. Priss still cared too. Funny how she fell in love with the least talkitive types. This made her chuckle lightly.  
  
"Sylia?" Mackie poked his head around the corner.   
  
"Yes, Mackie?" Sylia looked back into the living room, Nene was gone.   
  
"I wanted to ask you something." He said politely.  
  
"Sure, what is it?" Sylia sat her glass down on the counter and put her full attention on her little brother.  
  
"Am I human enough to..." Mackie blushed.  
  
Sylia bit her lip, she could only guess at what the last part of this could be. She still saw Mackie as a child, and her little brother. 'Oh please don't ask me about sex...'  
  
"Well... fall in love?"His eyes darted down to the ground as if he were ashamed of the thought.   
  
Sylia sighed with relief. Then she quickly answered, "Of course you are, love is just like any other emotion. "  
  
Mackie look up and smiled meakly at her, "But isn't it wrong... since I'm not..."  
  
"How many people are going to have to tell you this Mackie? You're not a Boomer to us. You're not a Boomer to Nene. I'm sure she'd be flattered by your feelings." Sylia knelt down and hugged him. He smiled more full heartedly.   
  
"Thank you Sylia..."  
  
"Hey Linna, Priss? You guys wanna go out for lunch or something?"Nene yelled threw the door.  
  
"That sounds great Nene. Just a minute..." Linna answered threw the door. This made Nene sweatdrop after all what does 'just a minute' imply? It only took a second, and Linna was at the door talking with Nene, which was a relief. They agreed on lunch, and even Priss taged along. It was you're average small town restraunt they found themselves at.   
  
"Guess what?" Nene grinned at the two girls sitting accross from her.  
  
"What?" Linna asked cheerfully.  
  
"Leon was at the A.D. Police site the other day." Nene announced as she shoved a huge forkful of food into her mouth. Priss' eyes glimmered, but there was no other reaction from her. What could you expect from Priss?  
  
"Oh so he's re-joining the A.D. Police huh?" Linna continued to play along, although the subject made her quite uncomfortable.  
  
"Yeah I guess, He was pestering me about Priss. He sounded like he was really worried." Nene winked at Linna. Linna couldn't find the words to continue this conversation, so she just shoved a bite of food in her mouth and nodded in a false cheerful way.  
  
"What are you getting at?" Priss rolled her eyes. She knew this had to be leading somewhere, that was the only time Nene did this kind of thing.  
  
"Oh nothing really... I just gave him a call to let him know you were okay. He wants to meet you for Dinner tonight. Isn't that great?" Nene grinned. Priss looked taken back, and then scowled at Nene.  
  
"Yeah, wow. That's great Nene..." Linna sighed. Priss glanced over at Linna. It was amazing to her how quickly Linna gave in to Priss leaving her for Leon. Why was that? She didn't even put up a fight, or scold Nene, or anything. That wasn't like Linna... Unless maybe she looked at it as better for Priss to be with Leon. She had no idea.  
  
Nene paid for the whole lunch considering the audatious amount of money she had to spend. They found thier way back to Sylia's with little chit chat. Nene kept rubbing in the fact that Leon was really worried and wouldn't leave her alone. Priss was very herself about it, she didn't have much to say. Linna found herself dazing out most of the time. She din't want to make a scene or anything, but she fighting the big green jealousy monster in her own thoughts. When they finnally arrived, she silently followed Priss to her room.  
  
"You're being quiet again..." Priss noted deciding look in the closet of Sylia's high class clothes. She pondered what to wear to her date.  
  
"You expect me to be jumping for joy?" Linna sighed and let herself fall back on the bed, "I... I... think you should know why I'm quiet."  
  
"Mmmhmmm" Prissed agreed, "With good reason I suppose."  
  
"What do you mean 'with good reason'?" Linna sat up again and peered at Priss pulling out a dark long dress from the closet, "You said you didn't love him..."  
  
"I don't. But I never said I loved you either." Priss was careful not to make eye contact with Linna on that one.  
  
Linna was stricken. The way Priss had been acting towards her lately, she had just assumed that there was some careing behind it. Now Priss was implying that she was just another kiss, another fling, another no one in her life. Linna growled.  
  
"So she does have some jealousy in there..." Priss started to strip right in front of Linna. Linna blushed and looked away politely.   
  
"So do you, or don't you care about me?" Linna said very harshly to the wall she was lookign at.  
  
Priss sighed, "What do you think?"   
  
Linna snaped her head back in Priss' direction, tears buring her eyes, "Quit toying with me! I don't know what to think..."   
  
"Arhg..." Priss pulled on the dress, rolling her eyes.  
  
"You're not any diffrent than Sylia- you know that?" Linna glared, tears about to fall from her eyes. Priss stopped in mid preperation, and stared coldly at Linna for this comment. She sneered, and fire burned in her eyes. Silently she finnished getting ready, feeling Linna's glare on her back the whole time.  
  
On her way out the door, she sighed looking back at Linna, "The diffrence between Sylia and I, is that I actually do care about you. Though it's up to you whether you believe it or not."   
  
Linna finally let the tears role down her cheeks. She let herself cry into her hands. She felt so abused, and alone in that cold room. She couldn't think. She didn't even notice Sylia's entrance, shortly after Priss' leave. 


	5. Make it Out! ::cough::

Priss walked into the restraunt Nene had arranged the meeting at. Leon was already seated at a table for two, and the host showed her over to him. He held out a rose for her, and gave her the most pathedic 'love me' look she had ever seen. She took a seat across from him.  
  
"I was afraid you hadn't made it. Nene had me real worried." Leon used his crappy Leon charm to win a smile out of Priss. Somehow it worked.  
  
"You were just afraid you'd loose that kiss I promised you." She countered, with a sly smirk.  
  
"Hey" He scratched the back of his head, "Well maybe that too..."  
  
"You moron..." She teased.  
  
"No need for name calling here, heaven knows I get enough of it from Nene. She's quite good at it, you know?" He shook his head  
  
Priss looked blankly at him for a moment. She picked up her menu and scanned over the entrees. Leon followed her example and put himself in his menu.  
  
Meanwhile in a much less Leon envaided part of Japan, Nene was sitting on a swing stareing out at the sunset. The orange was fading into pink, into red, into purple, into blue, and then into the night sky. It was like a painting. She sighed and began to talk to herself.  
  
"I wonder if the date is going well..." She sighed. She pictured Priss and Leon eating at a fancy restraunt, Leon being his silly Leon-poo self. Priss actually laughing at his stupid charm. But somehow her mind drifted to Linna. Linna had been acting like she was really into Priss, even though that was gross. Did she do something that might cause Linna to be angry with her? She shook her head.  
  
"It's so unfair." she kicked at the dirt from the swing, "Why do I fall for the unrealistic ones? Getting Priss would be a charm compared to..."   
  
"Nene?" Mackie inturupted her conversation with herself. He stepped up next to her, and put a hand on the swing's chain.   
  
"How long have you been standing there!" Nene yelled at him.  
  
His eyes shrank and he cowered backwards a few steps, "Not long. Not long at all!"  
  
"What did you hear?" Nene yelled again.  
  
"Nothing!" He waved his hands in front of him, "I swear it! I just came out here to talk, that's all!"  
  
"Oh..." Nene blinked, calming down and lightly swinging again, "So what did you want to talk about?"  
  
"Ummm..." Mackie sat down in the other swing, "I wanted to tell you something."  
  
"So tell me already..."   
  
"Okay" He said. Nene waited for the rest, but nothing followed the okay. She looked over at him. He was stareing at her with the oddest little expression on his face. It made her blush, but she wasn't sure why.  
  
"You wanted to tell me 'okay'?" She reminded after a moment of stareing.  
  
"Oh... yeah... um... IthinkthatI'vefalleninlovewithyou." He said in an almost unintellegibly quick manner, and then winced as if she were going to scold him for saying such a thing.  
  
Nene's eyes widened. She looked down at the ground, "Oh..."  
  
"I'm sorry." Mackie sighed, "I think Nigel needs me now. I'll go."  
  
He stood up and with his shoulders low began to walk back toward the house. Nene stood up and watched him walk. She quickly got herself together and ran after him. "Mackie! Mackie, wait!"  
  
He turned around to see her comming towards him in a super flying glomp. He was tackled over by such a glomp. Nene's arms were wrapped tightly around him, and her face was buried in his neck. He put his arms around her in return. This sensation was the most mazing thing he had felt yet, then she looked at him.  
  
"I love you too Mackie... but I don't want you bragging to anyone about this. Got it?" She grinned at him underneath her.  
  
"Of course not!" He grinned back. Then his most amazing feeling of before was completely shattered with a new, Nene kissed him.  
  
Sylia watched Linna cry. She'd been crying for almost half an hour now. Priss was being very cruel, but no crueler than she was to anyone else. Had Priss cried like this on the supposed relization that Sylia had never loved her? The words ran threw her mind once more, "The diffrence between Sylia and I, is that I actually do care about you.". Priss must really believe that Sylia never cared about anyone, Linna or herself.  
  
She finnaly stepped forward, and put a hand on Linna's shoulder. Linna looked up in surprise. She wiped her eyes clean of tears quickly.  
  
"So she left, is that right?" Sylia asked cautiously.  
  
"She's just out on a date." Linna replied, "With Leon."  
  
"Hmmm." Sylia nodded, "Are you okay?"  
  
"I'm Fine" Linna smiled, "I'll be happy for her, Leon's a nice guy. Priss deserves a nice guy."  
  
"Priss deserves whatever Priss wants." Sylia agreed, "After all she's been through, yes."  
  
"Why did you do whatever it was you did to her, Sylia?" Linna's tearful eyes were becomming dry with the comfort of someone to talk to.  
  
"Why did she do this to you?" Sylia countered.  
  
"Because I wasn't what's best for her." Linna answered quickly.  
  
"I doubt that was her reasoning." Sylia sighed, "I have difficulty with emotion, I guess I have a little too much of my father's genes there."   
  
"Because he abandoned you? and abused you?" Linna scowled. The thought of a father treating thier daughter the way Sylia was treated made her want to kill something.  
  
"I suppose so." Sylia nodded again, "I'm too busy with my work to really get caught up in any relationships. I have been ever since my father died."  
  
"That's it? Did you tell Priss that?" Linna asked.  
  
"No. Would you want to hear that from someone you absolutly adore with all you're heart and soul? I told her we needed space. I backed off. She was resentful, but she's still here isn't she?" Sylia explained.  
  
"She is..." Linna stared at Priss' leather laying on the floor beside the closet. "Has she ever lied to you?"  
  
"Priss? Why would she?" Sylia laughed at this, "The only time I've seen her lie is when she's backed into a corner, and the poor dear can't even keep eye contact when she lies then."   
  
"What...." Linna paused, "What do you think she thinks about me? I mean sometimes she cold, and sometimes she hot. I don't know what to think anymore."  
  
"She likes to feel free." Sylia answered, with her eyes obviously glazing over into her flashback thoughts.  
  
The water was running down Priss' naked body, Sylia's arms in a tight embrace around her. She was kissing Sylia's neck, whispering in her ear. "I just want to have the freedom to go anywhere, and do anything. I want to go everywhere and do everything with you..." Sylia had pulled back far enough to look into Priss' deep brown eyes, then she had kissed her long and passionately in the shower. One thing leading to the next, and then Sylia flashed back to current times.  
  
"Sylia?" Linna was waving a hand in front of her. Sylia blinked.  
  
"Sorry..." Sylia shook her head lightly, "What was I saying?"  
  
"I asked you what you think Priss thinks about me..." Linna reminded.  
  
"Oh yes, " Sylia answered, "She'll let you know. Just be patient, I'm sure everything will come together in the end."  
  
Linna's face fell, and she sighed heavily. Sylia smiled and patted Linna on the head. She turned and walked away. Linna leaned back on the bed and stared at the celing. She couldn't just sit around and cry about Priss being with Leon. She mentally built up her determination. Once set, she began a work out routine.  
  
"Nigel" Sylia tapped lightly on the door. He answerd it an invited her in without a word. She stepped in the room. Nigel was as much of an alchoholic as she was, empty booze bottles where strung all around the room. She chuckled.  
  
"What's funny?" He asked.  
  
She shook her head an smiled.  
  
"So you want the fourth suit done?"  
  
"That's right." Sylia put both her hands on Nigel's chest. He looked down at her. She leaned her head into his chest. She stayed like that for a while, then she stepped back and smirked at him. She began to untie her dress.   
  
Nene and Mackie had found thier way to the couch, still making out like teenagers do, the lights were out, and it was dark now. Nene had figured that Sylia and Linna had gone to sleep by now. Priss was probably going to go to Leon's. She pulled Mackie closer, if that was possible. She never wanted this night to end.  
  
They're make-out session was ruined by the light flipping on. Mackie fell off the couch in reflex. He found himself stareing at Priss with a scowl on her face. Nene tried to laugh in her embarrassment.  
  
"Heh-heh... How was your date, Priss?"  
  
Priss flipped the light switch off. She made her way past the two teenagers, and to her room. Linna was doing sit-ups in the middle of the floor. She was covered in sweat, and still going feverishly. Priss raised an eyebrow at her. Her eyes caught the much more comfortable clothes sitting on the floor. She quickly grabbed them. While she was changing Linna changed over to some push-ups. Priss sat down on the bed and watched Linna go. Linna was trying very hard to not notice Priss stareing at her. After she did fifty more push-ups she sat back and looked up at Priss' awed face.  
  
"What? You want to join me?" Linna joked.  
  
"Not really." Priss answered coldly.  
  
"Snaggle puss." Linna smirked.  
  
Priss cocked her head slightly. She was baffled. Linna was so hurt when she left, and now she was fine. Actually in a better mood than herself. She had just told Leon that she wasn't ready to settle down, at least not with a cop. She had thwarted his every come-on. She just wanted to get back home and tell Linna that she didn't mean it. She didn't mean to hurt her, and she didn't want to be like Sylia. Now she was wondering if she'd done the right thing.  
  
"So how'd it go?" Linna smiled, wincing in her head.  
  
"How'd what go?" Priss took her turn at joking.  
  
"You're date, silly!" Linna continued to hold her smile.  
  
"You really want to know?" Priss asked with the meanest sounding tone Linna had heard from her in a long time. She wasn't sure she wanted to know anymore.  
  
"I guess It's none of my business..." She looked to the floor. She felt like crying again. She was so confused by Priss' actions lately. Would she have a the patience to wait for Priss to come around?  
  
"Figured as much." Priss scoffed, "Why're you in such a good mood about it? Weren't you almost in tears when I left?"  
  
"I thought about it...and-"  
  
"You think too much." Priss cut her off. She laid down in the bed. What was happening to her world? It was suddenly a soap opera, or was it always? She held back her own tears. She just wanted Linna to go.   
  
"Maybe I do. But what I was saying is, I don't care who you're with- as long as it makes you happy. I really just want to see you happy, and that will make me happy." Linna continued.  
  
Priss could feel that stir of emotion Linna had a way of pulling on. She was starting to really dislike that feeling. It made her feel so diffrent, and so unlike herself. She scooted over on the bed again, hoping the same implications as always would come from it. Linna stood up, but she didn't lay down. She left the room. Priss sighed. How fucked up everything was. Could it get any worse? At least Leon had givin her a tip off on where her band was, and they were still alive. She was greatful for that.  
  
She had just began to doz off when Linna came back in, now freah, clean and wearing one of Sylia's silk robes. She climbed in bed right where Priss had offered her earlier. She curled up right against Priss.   
  
"I told him I had other priorities." Priss whispered.  
  
"What?" Linna shifted to look at Priss.  
  
"I told him to buzz off. I couldn't stop thinking about you." Priss closed her eyes. The tears were rising again, but there was no way Priss would ever let them out.  
  
"I'm... honored." Linna snuggled up around Priss and kissed her lightly on the cheek.  
  
Priss let her hands slid over the silk robe Linna was wearing. It was disturbing because it reminded her far too much of Sylia. She tuged lightly on the tie, and with ease she had Linna out of it. She kissed Linna, her face of bliss was still as amuzing as ever. Tonight she would make all of Linna's fantasies come true, she would be Linna's dream. Tonight she would be so lost in someone else she'd forget about anything, and everything else. 


	6. Rude Awakening!

Sylia watched Nigel work on the last suit. She looked over at her suit, that was shinning in the dim light. She missed being the active leader of the group. When she got the new girls' she hadn't relized she would be hanging up her suit and working from inside the pit. She sighed. It was just a furthermore depressing tid bit in her life. She found herself staring solmnely at her hardsuit rather than Nigel for the rest of the early morning hours.   
  
"Everything seemed to be okay when I went out in it the last few times" She said to Nigel, still looking longingly at the white hardsuit.  
  
"You know it's not safe." Nigel answered not even looking back at her, "It just takes one time."  
  
"I know..." Sylia sighed and let her head fall, "I just miss it so much."  
  
"I think you should scrap it." Nigel reached out for a diffrent tool, and then went to work with it.  
  
"I couldn't do that." She answered, "Sometimes I'm all we have left. If I didn't have a suit..."   
  
Nigel paused and shook his head. He didn't reply to her defence, he just kept on working. He was convinced it was none of his business. Sylia looked over to the little garage window. The morning sun was starting to shine into the room. She looked back to Nigel, and smiled.  
  
"Come get some breakfeast in a little while." She offered. She walked out, knowing that he wouldn't.   
  
The smell of freash breakfeast filled the living room. Nene's eyes popped open, she sniffed the air. It smelled yummy. She had fallen asleep curled up with Mackie on the couch. Now aside from Priss' walking in on them last night anyone else who had walked by since then had seen her with him. She pushed Mackie off the couch. He hit the floor with a very loud 'thump'.   
  
"Huh? Wha?" He look around frantically after just being woke up, nd then focused on Nene. "Oh, good morning Nene!"  
  
"You'd think so wouldn't you?" She played her usual cocky attitude at him, "You're very lucky Mackie! Don't get used to it!"  
  
"Oh I Know. And I won't." He reassured her with a sweet smile.   
  
"Okay. Then lets get some food!" She hopped up and ran into the kitchen . Sylia was seated at the head of the table already eating. There were five other plates of food out waiting to be eaten. She grinned, this was something she could really get used to. She took the seat closest to her and started eating right away. Mackie sat between her and Sylia.  
  
"Good morning, Sylia." He greeted her as he sat down.  
  
"Yes good morning you two. Did you sleep well?" She answered. Nene had a sweatdrop at this, but tried not to make a scene of it. Mackie nodded, and noticing Nene's reaction said nothing more. He began eating as well.  
  
"I thought I smelled breakfeast!" Linna cheerfully entered the room.  
  
"She's a littlte *too* happy..." Nene whispered to Mackie. Mackie looked at Nene in confusion, while Sylia surpressed a chuckle.   
  
Linna took a seat on the other side of Sylia. She was absoultly leaking joy. Sylia thought of what possible snide, but suddle comment she could make. She just couldn't find an appropriate one so she inquired...  
  
"Where's Priss?"  
  
"I'm right here." Priss leaned on the doorframe. Unlike Linna she didn't carry that hole 'I just got laid' cheer. She stepped away from the door and walked over to the table. She sat next to Linna, with a look so hard she was just daring anyone to make fun of her.   
  
After a few minutes Mackie spoke up, never liking silence himself. "How did your date go with Leon? You didn't look too happy when you got home." He asked Priss. He was oblivious to the happening between Linna and Priss last night.   
  
"It wasn't all that bad." She said, "How was you're 'date' with Nene?"   
  
"Date?" Mackie asked, "We didn't go out anywhere."  
  
"Oh?" She continued to eat, "Well... it just looked like the end of a date, that's all"   
  
Nene blushed deeply. That was enough reaction, Priss smirked.   
  
"Ah-hem" Sylia was going to stop this childish non-sense, "The hardsuits will all be finnished soon. If you'd like to have a look this afternoon, feel free."   
  
"This afternoon? Cool!" Nene cheered.  
  
"Is Nigel working on the suits now?" Mackie asked Sylia.  
  
"Yes, he's been working on them all night." She answered.  
  
"Oh. Excuse me" He stood up from the table, grabbed Nigel's plate and hurried out to the garage.  
  
"Wasn't he working on them all day yesterday?" Linna asked, "What's the rush?"  
  
"We don't know when the next Boomer will go rogue. I don't want to take any chances." Sylia said very sternly.  
  
"No need to kill him over it... " Priss mumbled while continuing on her meal.  
  
Sylia tensed up at that, she would not be held responsible for Nigel's choice to over work himself. She wouldn't be held responsible for anyone elses' death either. She looked down, her hand was clenched onto her fork. She dropped it, and stood up. Linna looked surprised, by Sylia's sudden actions. Priss hadn't even bothered to look at her.  
  
"Excuse me, I have work to do." She said as politely as possible through her clenched jaw. She walked away quickly.   
  
"So she's probably not going to finnish her breakfeast, huh?" Nene eyed the plate. She had already eaten all of hers, and a good portion of Mackie's as well.  
  
"She looked upset..." Linna ignored Nene's question.  
  
"Yeah, so she probably wont be back..." Nene grabbed the plate and chowed down.  
  
"Jeez kid, you have one hell of an appitite." Priss said leaning back in her chair casually.  
  
"Yeah, I know." She winked and stuck her tounge out in a silly face.  
  
"Are you guys sure Sylia's doing okay?" Linna asked, "She's been acting kinda... strange"   
  
"I noticed that too." Nene agreed, "It's like she's been on edge, and constantly frusterated. You don't think she's hiding anything else do you!?"  
  
"I hope not... I don't know if we could fight another Galatea..." Linna looked in the direction Sylia walked off in.  
  
"Maybe she's just recovering from all that stuff that Galatea did to her. Yeah I bet that's it." Nene nodded. She finnished up the last of the food in front of her, then noticing Priss' uninvolvement in the conversation. "What do you think Priss?"  
  
"Maybe she's angry about you cradle robbing her little brother." Priss smirked.  
  
Nene blushed again, "He's not all that much younger than me!"  
  
  
  
Hours later Priss was sitting on the couch next to Linna. Linna was reading some fashion magazine, that was of no intrest to her. She found this cottage of Sylia's to be one of the most boring places she had ever stayed. Nene had disapeared shortly after breakfeast, and Sylia hadn't passed by anytime recently either. She was starting to feel alone and trapped. She stood up and streched.  
  
"Bored?" Linna asked.  
  
"Eh." Priss shrugged, "I think I'm going to go take a shower..."   
  
"Want any company?" Linna suggested, grinning.  
  
"Um... No." Priss side stepped away from the couch. As if the silk robe wasn't bad enough. She casually walked down the hall. The bathroom was locked. Priss leaned her forhead on the wall. She missed having her bike parked outside. She could just go riding. There was that envelope with who knows how much money in it, waiting for her on the dresser. She lifted her head back away from the wall, getting ready to give in to the envelope. The bathroom door opened, and Nene blinked at her. She then hurried by, without much more than a giggle.  
  
Priss stepped in the door. The room was very dark, even with the lights on. The mirror was shattered, there were only a few peices of glass left hanging on. She pulled one of the shards loose from the mirror frame. Upon the inspection of it she found an edge laced in blood. She wondered why she hadn't noticed the mirror before. She shrugged and threw the glass shard away. Movement caught the corner of her eye. She looked behind her, Sylia was standing in the doorframe behind her. When Priss made eye contact with her, Sylia shut the door, closing them both in the bathroom. It sent a chill down Priss' spine, reminding her far too much of those days.   
  
"I was surprised by your lack of enthusiasum this morning. Was Linna that bad?" She said in what Priss' inturpreted as a low suductive tone.   
  
"Not at all... as if it's any of your business..."She stepped back, her lower back pushing into the sink.  
  
Sylia stayed against the closed door, with a thoughtful look.  
  
"What are you trying to do Sylia?" Priss sneered. This whole situation had her feeling even more trapped. She was begining to panic in her own mind. She gripped onto the sink with one hand. Sylia took in Priss' fear, and sighed. She crossed the room, past Priss and over to the shower. She turned on the water, and let it run on her hand.  
  
Priss' started to ease back toward the door. She assumed Sylia was still trying to suduce her, again. She wasn't having of it, "Does everyone want to take a shower with me?"  
  
"Not really, all though those are fond memories." Sylia pulled her hand back and shook it lightly in an attempt to drip dry it, "I miss you, sometimes. I've made so many mistakes."   
  
"I know you have." Priss scoffed.  
  
"Sometimes you're so hard Priss, maybe you should lighten up a little bit. You couldn't possibly hate me as much as you lead on... could you?" Sylia left the shower running and walked back over to Priss.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Hmmm." Sylia leaned in and kissed Priss lightly. Priss didn't know whys she didn't throw Sylia away from her, but she didn't. She closed her eyes, and she kissed Sylia back. She could feel those tears burning her eye-lids again. As Sylia pulled away, she could feel one of those warm little drops find it's way out and down her cheek. She looked down quickly, eye's still clenched.  
  
"I do care about you. I always have, and I want you to know that." Sylia whispered.  
  
Priss nodded lightly, still looking down. She didn't want to face this, not now, not ever. That's why she had been so afraid, and now she just felt like curling up alone in a cave.  
  
"You're hardsuit will be done soon. In the meantime, cheer yourself up- There's a red bike outside just waiting for you to take it for a ride." Sylia patted Priss' shoulder, then returned to the door.   
  
"Sylia..." Priss whispered, not wanting her voice to crack.  
  
"Yes, Priss?" She glanced over her shoulder.   
  
"Thank you."  
  
Sylia smiled. She opened the door and let herself out. Priss was glad there wasn't a mirror, she would have hated to see herself in tears. She stripped down and got into the shower as planned. She let the warm water mix with her tears, and take them all far, far away.   
  
Linna and Nene stood side by side gazing upon thier soon to be suits. They were pre-shaped, but still made to mold with the liquid suit gunk. The first diffrence was the backs, there was a rather large jet pack on it. It looked like there was more to it than that, because of the way it folded in upon itself. The arm packs on Linna's were packed with some kind of blue liquid. There were still obviously the whips she had been started with. Nene's had computer citcutry all along both arm packs. There were the normal bundle of connectors needed for downloading information, and what looked to be a complete super computer... built right onto the base of the suit. Over the circutry two large lazer guns were mounted. Priss' suit was in pieces, still being built off to the side of the room. Sylia stepped up behind the two of them.   
  
"Like what you see?" She asked.  
  
"What's with the computer set up on my suit?" Nene asked, "Didn't we have a simpler configuration before?"   
  
"Good question." Sylia walked over to the suit and looked it over, "If all goes to my calculations, this system will allow you to virtually place yourself in any computer system imaginable."   
  
"Virtual reality?" Linna asked.  
  
"Something like that... " She answered, "It would be something like a dream, or game, but it would be very real. With this she could access systems in a way no other could... even Boomers themselves."  
  
"I think I get it." Nene nodded, "I think I've seen movies with concepts similar to that."  
  
"Well, we'll have to see how it works, hmmm?" Sylia chuckled.  
  
Linna walked to the back of her suit and pointed at the pack, "How about this?"  
  
"Oh, That's a surprise. I'm rather sure that that will work properly." She teased.  
  
"These guns are really big... " Nene pointed out, studying the gun on the left arm. Sylia leaned down to look with her.  
  
"It has several settings. You could lazer blast them, but as I've noticed that does very little damage. We have some regular amo, a fire blaster, or a liquid nitrogen cannon."  
  
"Wow! Sounds fun!" Nene cheered.  
  
"Is that what this blue stuff is, Sylia?" Linna asked about her own suit, "Liquid nitrogen?"  
  
"No. That is an expierment of mine. It's a venom, in hopes of paralyzes. It will eject automaticaly. We'll see how it works."  
  
"So we've become your test subjects now?" Priss interrupted from the garage door. Her hair was up in a towel, random strands finding thier way free.   
  
"To make the suits better, we'll have to test them." She said sternly, "If you don't like it, you can leave."  
  
"Nah, I'm ready to get back out there." She shrugged, "Lemme know when I get to put the damn thing on."   
  
"Hey Priss!" Nene called to the leaving Priss, "With this new suit, I'll be able to kick some big boomer ass with you!"   
  
Priss looked over her shoulder, Nene gave her a peace sign and cocked her head cheerfully. Priss shook her head and found her way back to her designated room.  
  
"What about you're suit?" Linna asked, "Are you going to retire?"   
  
"No. It's already done. I have a pack like both of you, other than that... It was just slight repairs." She pointed at the dark corner she had moved it to so she wouldn't have to look at it anymore.   
  
"I told her to retire, but she won't listen to me." Nigel returned from the short break he had taken. His eyes were dark, from lack of sleep. He walked right up to the third suit and continued his work.   
  
"Sylia!" Mackie ran in urgently, "Sylia!"  
  
"What is it Mackie?" Sylia asked with concern to his panic.  
  
"It's already happening. A worker boomer in northern Tokyo has gone rogue. It's out of control, and there was a report of it spreading to other boomers!"  
  
"No..." Sylia whimpered, "It's too soon... those fools. They should never have mass produced so many boomers from cloned core."   
  
"Cloned?" Nene asked.  
  
"I'll explain on the way. It looks like we'll be testing the suits earlier than I had hoped." Sylia hurried over to her hardsuit. She looked over to Nigel, who gave her an unapproving look. She had this dark feeling that she should listen to him this time. Since when was a dark feeling new to her anyway? She had to go. She prepared it and Nigel poured the liquid on. She molded into a white Knight Saber.   
  
"Linna, you're next..." Sylia pointed at her suit. She did as she was told. Nene ran to go get Priss while Linna was suiting up.  
  
"Priss! There's a rogue Boomer!" Nene yelled running into Priss' room.   
  
"What?" Priss found herself chasinf after Nene. Nene ran back to garage. Linna was all suited up, so Nene hurried to get into her suit next.  
  
"Priss, you're going to have to stay here. " Sylia told her.  
  
"Wait a minute, what's happening?" She asked the white Knight Saber.  
  
"It looks as if we'll be facing a Boomer revolution... " Sylia sneered, "It won't be pretty. Luckly we have the three of us."  
  
"Sylia..." Priss begged, "... You come back with Linna and Nene. You got that?"  
  
"Let's go!" Nene jumped over in her new hardsuit.   
  
"Alright." Sylia agreed, "Linna, come on."  
  
"Sylia!" Priss demanded.  
  
Sylia didn't respond, she led the other two girls into her car. It wasn't quite the mobil pit, but it would do for now. Mackie gave her directions.  
  
"Damn it!" Priss cursed, "How long will it take you to get that suit finnished up, Nigel?"   
  
"A few hours at the least with the extras Sylia has requested for it." Nigel answered calmly.  
  
"That's too fucking long." She growled. She paced for a moment. Looking back up at Nigel she snarled, "Forget whatever fancy extras. I'll take whatever you can give me in the next twenty minutes."   
  
"I'm afraid that's not possible." He answered, but Priss was already out of the garage. She was watching the video input from Nene's visual via Mackie.  
  
The boomer wasn't all that deformed when they arrived. It stood tall, even for a building boomer. It had deformed shoulders that were very broad and spiked. The arms were lanky, swinging as it ordered the other boomers to do it's deeds. It's eyes glowed a bright red, along with everyone of its worker drones. They looked to be building something, by use of wreckage from a building the had just built, and destroyed.   
  
"Why are they doing that?" Linna's voice spoke accross all the intercoms.   
  
"It's killed the commander, and took the job." Sylia explained, "The damn thing is trying to build a boomer army."  
  
"It's still a small army!" Nene yelled, "Let's destroy them now!"  
  
She hopped out of the car, and running towards the boomers, they all turned to face her. She stopped in her tracks. "There's actually... quite a few of them."   
  
The commander buzzed out some noise. The first line of about six boomers charged toward her. She sweatdropped. She lifted both her arms and concentrated on shooting them. The first things he shot was the lazers. They stunned the boomers, long enough for Linna to join her side. Linna jumped out and smacked three of them with her her whip weapon. They all screamed and recoiled, one lost an arm. The others were right upon Nene. She tried out the flame thrower. It sparked and flames flew for a good rubber melting, metal charcoaling few minutes. The flames were exahsted.  
  
"They'll need to re-charge Nene!" Sylia commanded from the car, "Try the the normal Amunition!"  
  
Nene shot off round after round of slugs. It hadn't worked very well for the A.D. Police why would it work for her? She took one of the boomers down with it. She switched over to the Liquid Nitrogen. As soon as it hit the burnt boomer, it froze in it's place. She grinned, hitting the other boomer with the same results.   
  
"Yeah!" She celebrated. "I tottally rock!"  
  
"Smash thier core while you have the chance!" Sylia reminded, harshly.  
  
"Oh... yeah" Nene pounced on one after the other smashing thier core.  
  
The three that Linna were fighting were putting up quite a fight, but all in a single instant they combusted from the core area.   
  
"What just happened?" Linna yelled out to Sylia.  
  
"The poison worked as I had hoped. It was a little delayed. When it finnaly reached the core, the core over worked itself, it blew itself up!" Sylia explained.  
  
The next six boomers were upon her Sabers. She waited, hopeful she wouldn't have to put herself in the battle. Thier weapons were working beautifully. The packs!  
  
"Remember those packs?" Sylia reminded, "Use them!"  
  
Linna bounced off of a bommer far enough to use the pack. She flew up into the air and long wings extended from her back. She was able to move them, like an angel she thought. She used the wings to dive gracefully down into a boomer giving it a full whip to the chest. Nene followed Linna's example. She flew up and started shooting from the sky. Sylia's eyes twinkled at the beauty of her new an improved young women warriors.  
  
They Knight Sabers fought long and hard. The poison Sylia had equipt in Linna's suit was killing boomers without a blink of the eye, but it couldn't last forever, nor would Nene's amunition. Both of them ran into that problem at the same time.  
  
"Sylia... I have nothing but lazers left. It's only stunning them! There's so many!"  
  
"They aren't falling anymore, Sylia! I think the venom is all worn out!"  
  
Sylia jumped into battle.  
  
"There's no way! They haven't even taken out half of them!" Priss yelled at the computer monitor, "Get out of there! Is that the A.D. Police? Great."  
  
On the little monitor Nene had looked back toward Sylia's car, the A.D. Police had finnaly arrived. They weren't nearly as equipt as usual. Priss ran back to garage, over forty minutes had passed since she had told Nigel he had twenty. He was still working on it when she ran in.  
  
"Okay, suit me up!" She demanded, "Now."  
  
"I've rushed it Priss," He explained. "I've dropped all the extras, but the suit still may not be safe."  
  
"It won't go rogue right?" She asked.  
  
"No, that's not the problem."   
  
"Then I'll work with it. They need me out there." She climbed into the not quite finnished suit.  
  
"It's not my problem. I warned you." He poured the liquid goop on her. She molded to form without a problem in the world. She did a flip, tested a kick with both legs, and a punch with both arms. The suit was perfectly comfortable. She hurried out to the bike Sylia had told her about.  
  
  
Linna was caught off gaurd by a tenticul grabbing hold of one of her wings. It ripped right off, sending her slightly off balance. She tucked the other one in. She flew downward with much less grace than before, swinging another shot of the whips at it. She was begining to get worn down. Nene was already dragging. She just had to fight harder. She punched right into the core, and with it in hand smashed it with all of her might. A second boomer she was fighting grabbed her from behind. She tried to loosen herself, but it further fused with her suit as she fought.   
  
"Linna!" Sylia tried to reach her, but was stopped by several boomers. She attacked with everything she had.  
  
The boomer carried her back to thier building project. As it climbed up over the wall, she could see it was just a bed of long jagged spikes. The held her up as high as it could, way up in the sky. It was like a horrible fair raide, it threw her down on this bed of spikes with all the momentum of a bus.   
  
"Sylia!" Linna cried out as she flew through the air, toward her painful doom.  
  
The commander Bommer laughed like a mad man.  
  
To be continued.... 


	7. Bloody Battle Rage On!

The sky was dark. The clouds swirled like an evil culdron above the battle. Rain started to pour out, weeping for an end. Linna had an incredible view of these clouds. She was laid out in the bed of spikes, facing the sky. She laid just as she had landed, movement caused such pain she thought it would kill her. If she stayed put, letting her blood flow from her body with the objects blocking full flow she might have a chance. She could feel the rain seek in the cracks in her hardsuit where spikes of several diffrent sizes and shaped had pierced through. The most vital had hit her lower abdomin, as far as she could tell all the others were minor in comparrison. She thought back to her childhood, and to her family out in the country. What was she doing here?  
  
Sylia and Nene had seen Linna go flying into the building the boomers had built, and felt the shock of pain Linna had been sent into. Sylia sliced through many bommers in just that instant, she was having trouble deciferring Linna's pain and her pain. Her head had that same throbbing that drove her to such strange acts of insanity. Nene flew up high and played back up for Sylia. She would taze the boomer, and Sylia would destroy it.  
  
"Sylia!" Nene yelled, "I can see in the building..." She was stareing over a wall, all she could see was a few sharp points, a couple running with blood.  
  
"Can you see Linna?" Sylia screamed as she thrust her sword into another boomers core and slid it out in another motion to slice off the tenticles comming after her.  
  
"Some of her..." Nene whimpered. She had to see more, she flew closer. Looking down into the pit she could see Linna pierced threw by about five of the spikes. The green Sabers blood was pooling in the bottom of the pit. Nene was hit by a sudden rush of nausia, she was staring down at Linna. "Sylia... she's... she's..."  
  
"Nene watch out!" Sylia cried out. Nene didn't even have the chance to react, A boomer grabbed hold of her. She was now pulled into the tenticles the same way as Linna had been. Was that now her fate?She scremed at the top of her lungs. The scream made Sylia's head feel like it had just shattered, she stumbled, and a boomer smacked her a good one. She went flying back into a wall, sliding down to the ground... unconscious.  
  
The boomer held Nene way up into the clouds like the previous one had done to Linna, Nene had to think fast. She activated the super computer. If nothing else, being in a virtual world when she died may not hurt as much. As soon as the system was activated she was floating in a black pool of goo and wires. The whole world around her looked that way. She could see the Boomer she was fighting, in a human form looking something like Sylia.   
  
"Sylia!" She called out.  
  
The woman turned to look at her, her eyes glowing the same red the boomers had been. It walked toward her, and reached out a hand to offer help from the gunk. She took it and pulled herself out.   
  
"Who are you?" It asked, "And how did you get here? I thought I was alone..."  
  
"My name is Nene. What are you? Are you a boomer?" Nene looked at the perfectly human looking figure standing in front of her.  
  
"I am a boomer." It confirmed, "But I am confined by this poor shape and duty that I have been programed to. I will never truely be me."  
  
"You're trapped in here." Nene looked around at the horrible background, "I think I'd go rogue if my head looked like this too."  
  
"Not rogue. Free" It corrected, "I, we all will be free."  
  
"Free from what?" Nene looked around, how would going rogue make a boomer free. It had said itself that it would never be what it wanted to be. The boomer woman seemed to be as confused as she was herself. It's eyes faded from the glowing red, to a natural deep blue.   
  
"I don't know." It looked around, "Why are you here?"  
  
"I didn't want to die..." Nene trailed off wondering if she had hit the ground yet, wondering if her body was suffering some horrible pain that she was unable to feel in this state.  
  
Priss had felt the intense pain surge threw her body when Linna had hit the ground, but it just drove her to ride the bike faster. She had just skidded to stop to see Sylia hit the wall, and slide down, no longer moving. She could hear Nene's scream of horror, but Nene never went into that pit. The boomer holding her had just paused, ready to throw her. It was frozen in place, ignoring the orders issued by the boss boomer. Priss snarled. She jumped off the bike and flew into the air. She bounced off of boomer head, to boomer head until she had reached the humoungus leader. She knuckle bombed it on impact.   
  
The huge Boomer stopped it's commands and reached for her with it's lanky arms. She was too fast, she hopped up using the side of a builing for leverage and kicked it smack in the face. It blew up on impact. The boomer wobbled, as if it were about to fall. The red eyes opened again on the half missing face of the boomer, then it reached out both arms along with tenticles comming from who knows where to grab Priss. She blew another hole in it's arm, but the tenticles wrapped around her, and she found herself up in the air with Nene. Nene had gone silent, perhaps as unconscious as Sylia. Looking down she saw Linna, the sight made her crumble inside. There was no way she was going to walk away from that, there was more blood on the ground than there could possibly be left inside Linna.   
  
"Linna..." She whispered. The large Boomer heaved her higher than Nene. She couldn't take her eyes off of Linna. She had broke her promise, and that was a worse fate than anything this Boomer could do to her. "Just drop me already you fucking piece of shit!"  
  
The boomer reacted to this by pulling her back towards it with incredible speed. It slammed her suit into it's body. That gave her quite a shake. She bounced when she hit the ground underneath it, and rolled over to escape. Her suit surged, and went dead. The weight of the suit was to much for her to crawl away with. The Boomer placed one of it's feet on her back. It slowly put more and more pressure on her. She cleenched her teeth against the pain.  
  
"Back off of her!" Leon yelled up at the large boomer in front of him. He was right in the middle of the army of Boomers with a small pistol aimed up.  
  
"You idiot Leon." Priss grunted, a smirk twitching in the corner of her mouth.  
  
It didn't take long the boomer sezed him, and tossed him into the pit with Linna. He shot off his little pistol a few times, but it didn't do much good. Priss could hear his yell as he fell into the pit. She cringed. Were they going to throw Sylia in there next? She tried to move again, reminding the boomer to apply more pressure. She could feel her bones bending, and whimpered.  
  
Sylia shook her head, Priss' cry of pain had woke her up. The throbbing was worse than ever and she had to fight to move. She stood up and used her new wings to fly over to the boomer stomping on Priss. Sylia screamed with all her rage at the pain in her head, heading for the target of this Boomer's core. She dived into it full speed with her sword extended. She ripped through the boomer, and riped out it's core in her trip though. She flew into the building directly behind the boomer with the same force, smashing into the wall and again hitting the ground. She layed there limp, cringing at the horrible enternal pain driving her mad.  
  
Nene saw the world through the boomers eyes, as they stood in it's soul. It was no longer rogue, it turned to the other Boomers and with a similar commandment to how thier leader spoke, it told of what it had learned in it's short talk with Nene. All the other boomers's glowing red eyes returned to the dull black. They went to cleaning up the mess they had made. The Boomer holding Nene set her down, and as soon as the contact was lost she returned to her body. She could see Priss ejecting herself from her hardsuit not too far away. Sylia was no where to be seen.   
  
"Linna?" Nene asked peering down into the pit Linna was trapped in.  
  
"I'm still here... "She put effort into whispering.  
  
"She's alive!" Nene rejoiced. She hurried over to the many emergency vehicles that were waiting to help, just outside of the A.D. Police Vehicles blockage.  
  
Priss crawled away and shook off the bruises that weren't apparent yet. She hurried over to Sylia and pulled her helmet off. Her eyes were open, but dialated very small. Priss ripped at the armour on her friend. It popped off when she hit the emergecncy eject. Priss lifted her out of it, and carried her leader away from the chaos and smoke.  
  
The emergency crew had one hell of a time getting Linna out of that pit. They were sure she wouldn't make it. Priss had placed Sylia in the hands of EMT people then hurried to help the crew with Linna. Down in the pit there were several A.D. Police officers, some alive, some dead. Leon was there, Priss knew she shouldn't have looked for him, but she couldn't keep herself from searching.   
  
He had landed on his side. Only two spikes had even harmed him, but by the injury of them it made it hardly possible to tell it was him, aside from his hair cut, and choice of clothes. His face had been completely malled, and his leg. That was it. Poor unlucky sap, Priss looked away quickly. If she hadn't turned him down would all this have happened? Linna whimpered. She hurried to her side and grabbed her hand.  
  
"Hold on Linna, " Priss begged tears buring in her eyes for the second time that day, "I can't loose you... I just can't..."  
  
Linna opened her eyes to see Priss, standing next to her. She made a meak smile underneath the oxygen mask they had on her. She clenched onto Priss' hand with all the strength she had left. The emergency vehicle rode off into the rainy streets of a destroyed city.  
  
To be continued.... 


	8. Clear Skies!

Is this what death feels like? Sylia was looking up at the white hospital celing. The pain was throbbing from her head and through out her whole body. Everything was beggining to numb. She felt as if she were floating, higher than she had ever been before. What happened? Am I dead? Am I dying? She couldn't move, and she couldn't get her eyes to focus properly. I guess I've underestimated my strength, Nigel you were right. She could hear Nigel telling to scrap her suit. He had known, just as she had chosen to deny, she had been toying with death itself. The pain was almost completely numb, though her body no longer felt attached. She wished she could have listened to him, but she knew she couldn't have. If she had scrapped the suit, there was a good chance everyone of her girls would be dead now. Instead it was just her.   
  
"She's awake..." A nurse called over to someone else, "Call her family..." Sylia could see her face leaning in above her own. She wasn't dead, not yet. She smirked to herself.  
  
"Sylia Stingray?" The nurse asked her.  
  
"Yes?" Sylia uttered, barely intellegible.  
  
"Your Brother will be here to pick you up shortly."  
  
She tried to nod. She wasn't sure whether she actually had or not. She was hospitalized, not dead. She suddenly felt a ray of hope shine down on her. She was just numbing from the extensive amount of morphine they had her on. She struggled to sit up, only knowing the diffrence from up and down by what she could see.   
  
Priss lay asleep in a waiting room chair. The color scheme of the whole hospital was blue and grey, and in every waking moment she could feel nothing but guilt, and depression. She had been waiting in that hospital for two days now, and the doctors were all very cross with her. She couldn't see Linna, she couldn't see Sylia. They wouldn't even tell her how they were doing, all she could do was wait. Linna's parents had been contacted, and arrived the same day as the injury. Priss hadn't seen much of them since then either. She had found that dozing off was the only way to ease the sorrow.  
  
Mackie and Nene had really bad timing with Priss, everytime they came through she was passed out. Mackie had recieved a phone call yesterday afternoon, asking him to give more information on Sylia Stingray. He came in and gave them what they needed, and Nene had been following him everywhere since the horrible battle. Right now they sat accross from Priss, hoping she might wake up.  
  
"I didn't think she cared so much..." Nene whispered to Mackie.  
  
"She hasn't left the hospital... " Mackie reminded Nene.   
  
"That's what I was saying! She must be really worried." Nene raised her voice a little.  
  
"Sylia..." Mackie looked to the ground sadly.  
  
"Sylia?" Priss shot up like lightning, looking around for whoever had mentioned Sylia. Accross from her she saw Mackie and Nene. She never thought she'd be so glad to see either of them. She stood up, her knees popped when she did. It had been hours, and hours since she last stood. "Have they told you anything?"  
  
Nene shook her head. Mackie stood up politely to talk to Priss, "They said there's nothing they can do. She's comming home today."  
  
"And Linna?" Priss' begged for knowledge.  
  
"I don't know..." Mackie looked at the ground again.  
  
"She must be alive, I think they'd tell us if she had died." Nene tried to sound a little cheerful.  
  
"Mackie Stingray?" A Receptionist called out. Mackie hurried over to the desk. She had him sign several papers, then asked him to walk over to the door.   
  
Two nurses wheeled out Sylia in a wheel chair. She looked like her normal self, but in hospital rags. Her face was calm and gentle as it usually was when she wasn't angry. Mackie hugged her right away. She put her arms on him in return and smiled.  
  
"Sylia..." He cooed.  
  
"Sylia! You're okay!" Nene hurried over to hug her with Mackie.  
  
Priss stared accross the waiting room at the silver haired girl in the chair. She could see that Sylia was fine but something seemed wrong. She waited until all of the hugging was done to join the rest of them. Sylia looked up at her, still not having spoken a word. Her eyes were distant, she was high as the clouds. That's what the diffrence had been, Priss sighed with relief.  
  
"Mr. Stingray," The male nurse addressed Mackie, "I'm afraid we still couldn't pin point exactly what the problem was. How-ever, the problem is in her central nervous system. This girl is falling apart like an elderly woman, or someone with a very weak emune system. Without knowing the diagnosis, we can't even try to cure it. I'm afraid there's nothing else we can do. I'm sorry."  
  
"What are you saying?" Nene asked before Mackie could answer, "Are you saying you think shes going to..."  
  
"The outcome of this unknown, this central nervous system disorientation is bizzare. The doctor has never seen anything like this before."  
  
"So you're telling me you get paid thousands of dollars to tell us you don't know?" Priss grabbed the nurses garb and pulled him close to her, "You better hope she's alright mister."  
  
"I'm sure everything will work out for you!" The man said with false reassurance in hopes she would let him go. She snarled and dropped him as hastily as she had grabbed him.  
  
"Let's get her home. This place isn't gonna help any." Priss gestured toward the door still glaring at the man.  
  
"That's true." Mackie started to push the wheel chair.  
  
"Hear that Sylia? You're going home again!" Nene yelled in her ear, as if because she wasn't speaking she couldn't hear either. Sylia flinched and pulled away from Nene.  
  
"I heard Priss..." She whispered.  
  
"Oh..." Nene gave her an 'oopsy' face. Sylia smiled at her. She would have missed Nene's silliness if she had died. Just another thing she was thankful to still have.  
  
In the other room Linna lay in a hospital bed, still out cold. She had been out since surgery over two days ago. She was hooked up to numerous gadets, and gizmos, measuring all of her vital stats. Her parents were waiting for her to come around. Doctors had told them it would be anytime now, she had cleared critical, and was now stabalized. They said she was an amazing case, that she was healing like it was nothing but a scratch. Her parents had to doubt that, as they were seeing her as unconcsious in a hospital bed.  
  
Linna was unaware of anything after that grey sky, and Priss' hand. She was in a dream world now. She was standing in her parents huge country backyard, her hair blowing in the wind. She was looking out accross the farmland, and thinking how beautiful it really was. Priss was standing next to her, her fingers still intwinded with Linna's. Priss was sullen, and seemed as distant as she was.   
  
"Priss?" She asked, not actually facing Priss.  
  
"Hmmm?" Priss looked at Linna with a sly smirk.  
  
"I know it's not possible for two girls to marry, but..." Linna looked into Priss' deep brown eyes, "If we could. Would you?"   
  
"Was that a proposal?" Priss laughed. Linna blushed.  
  
"Well... Kinda..." She muttered under the deep embarrasssment she felt.  
  
"I don't see why not." Priss shrugged.  
  
"So you do love me?" Linna's blush faded. Priss pulled her into her arms, and kissed her again and again. Then smiled at her.  
  
"Duh." She said simply.   
  
Linna's mother called for her. Linna winced.  
  
"So how are you going to tell your parents?" Priss joked.  
  
Linna's mother called again.  
  
A few hours later Sylia was sitting on the most comfortable couch in her living room. They had just helped her up from the wheelchair. She could talk lightly now, the high was begging to fade slightly. Sadly with the high fading the pain was returning. She found that any movement caused a strinking pain down her spinal cord and throughout her nerves. She felt dizzy, and drowsey. She cuddled in closer to Nigel who had sat down with her. It was such an amazing comfort to know she was with him now.  
  
"You shouldn't have gone." He sighed.  
  
"I had to. You know that..." She replied softly. When he just held her hand a little tighter she knew what he meant. He knew what pain she was in, and he knew what she was denying. She suddenly felt ignorant for all she had done. He really did care about her, and she may of hurt him the most out of this. Linna's condition was still unknown, but she had a good feeling about it. Linna was a tough girl, much like herself. No boomer would take them down.  
  
"The feedback from that suit... It could kill you. It is killing you." He muttered.  
  
It was true. The pain she was suffering from right now could only mean she was destin to be a vegitable or a corpse. She could see herself that night yelling in the mirror. She deserved this fate more than anyone in the world, could she actually feel sorry now that it was upon her? Not for herself.  
  
"I love you Nigel. I always have, and I always will." She snuggled into his chest, "I wish things could have been diffrent"  
  
"So do I..."  
  
"And I." Priss made a seat of the coffee table in front of them.  
  
"Priss... " Sylia started what was either going to be an appology or a inquiry.  
  
"I just wanted to say Thank you." Priss inturrupted her, "Even though you've almost had me killed six zillion times, you've lied to me, you've hurt me worse than anyone in the world... but I'm sure I wouldn't be alive at all if it weren't for you. So Thanks." She wasn't much into thank yous, but she had a feeling it would make Sylia feel a little more at ease. She knew it certainly made herself feel better.  
  
Sylia closed her eyes. Priss forgave her, could those millions of people killed in the earthquake and by Galatea forgive her too? She was feeling more and more drowsey, the pain was fading in and out. Nigel kissed her forhead lightly. Priss looked a little taken back, but tried to hide it. She could feel this kiss, she could feel the comfort of his body next to hers, and she could feel sleep comming on. The pain was numb again, and she was drifting. If I don't open my eyes now will I ever open them again? She couldn't bring herself from the slumber she had fallen into it was so peaceful, and calm. She could see herself in the darkness, but as a child. Her mother and her father both holding her hands, in a happy childhood- before this horror that was her life had ever begun. The child giggled happily.  
  
Nigel stared down at Sylia's body resting against his. She hadn't spoken or moved for a long while. He brushed fingertip accross her mouth lightly. It was as he was afraid of, she wasn't breathing. Priss looked like she had just seen a ghoast, the way she sat stareing wide-eyed at Sylia. Mackie was standing behind Priss stareing on in a much more knowing, and very sadend way. Nene peeked around the corner behind the both of them. She just looked freaked out.  
  
Nigel sighed, and ran his hand accross her face. She was paler than before now, but still an everlasting beauty. He stood up carefully letting her fall gently onto the couch. He didn't say anything to Sylia's audenience, as he walked right past them to his quarters.  
  
Silence held everyones words while they stared at the lifeless body of thier former companion. They had all seen the darkness, and Sylia's happy childhood before the distinct feeling of loss. No one had to say it, they all knew. Sylia was gone.  
  
A gun shot broke the silence around Sylia.   
  
"Nigel!" Mackie bolted down the hall like lightning, with Nene quickly on his heels. Priss stood up and shook her head looking down at the ground. This place was going to hell.  
  
"Nigel!" He repreated at the closed door, he hated to open someones' door without permission. In this case he decided it was more important to get a response than to be polite. He swung open the door only to see part of Nigel flopped down on the couch. The wall behind him was splattered in blood, obviously by the shot gun fallen at his feet. He stared in shock. Nene caught one glimpse and became violently sick to her stomach. She tried to get to the bathroom, but didn't make it far at all. Mackie was quick to comfort her and clean up the mess.  
  
At the hospital Linna had been awake and talking to her parents when the images came to her. Then there was that horrible feeling of something lost. She started crying at random, and her parents became very attentive.  
  
"Linna, hunny" Her mother cooed, "Everything will be alright. The Doctors said you were doing good."  
  
"Mom..." Linna cried, "Get Priss... Get Priss... Asagiri..."  
  
"Who's Priss Asagiri?" Her father asked either of the women.  
  
"Please..." Linna was afraid that Priss might not be okay, if the images were non-related to that feeling of loss... It could mean anything. She cried for Sylia, she cried for Priss, and she cried for Nene. She was afraid she'd never see any of them again. Her mother didn't understand, but she knew what her daughter wanted.  
  
"Whoever it is, find her." She told her husband, "Ask the front desk for a phone book..."  
  
He wasn't so sure about calling people that had never been mentioned before, after all this accident was obviously no accident. For all he knew Priss could have been behind it all. He grudgeingly walked to the front counter and asked for a phone book. He looked over all the Asagari's. There was no "Priss" listed.  
  
"Not listed." He felt half triumphant. If she wasn't listed in teh phone book she couldn't be good news.   
  
"What was the name?" The nosey receptionist happned to notice him looking over the Asagiri's.  
  
"Priss Asagiri. My Daughter asked me to get her." He closed the phone book, "But she's not listed."   
  
"Priss Asagiri was here up until about ten o'clock this morning. She was waiting for either of two patients to be released. She had no relation to either of them." The receptionist babbled, "She could have really used a shower. She threatened one of the nurses, can you believe that? Well I guess for being here for almost three days she didn't cause all that much trouble. She couldn't say how she knew Miss Yamakazi, did your daughter mention thier relation?"  
  
He blinked. That was one perky talkative receptionist.   
  
"Thank you." He handed the phone book back over the counter, and headed back for Linna's room.  
  
"If she comes back should I allow her to see Miss Yamakazi?" The woman yelled after him. He turned and nodded. The woman quickly wrote down that Priss would be allowed in to see Linna. Not ten minutes later Priss walked back in looking even more ragged than when she had left.   
  
"Miss Asagiri!" The receptionist called her over right away, "You may go in to see Linna Yamakazi now if you wish..."  
  
The moment Priss walked into the room everyone stared at her. Linna had grinned, her eyes brighting on instant. The mother looked shocked, and the father just looked mean. She wasn't sure how to react considering Linna's parents were in the room.  
  
"Finnaly they let me in..." She decided on, "I was about to kill those damn receptionists."  
  
"Priss was worried?" Linna chuckled lightly, "Now that one is new."  
  
Priss scratched the back of her head, "Yeah... well don't get used to it."  
  
"Mom, Dad... ?" Linna asked as sweetly as she could manage, "Could I maybe talk to Priss alone for a minute?"  
  
"Who is this girl?" Her father demanded, "She looks like trailor trash. I hope this isn't what you think you're going to be!"  
  
Priss sneered. That was quite an insult comming from the father of her current love intrest. With all the mixed emotions she felt right now it would have felt good to get in a fist fight with the old man. She knew better, but only for Linna's sake. She bit her tongue.  
  
"I'll explain everything later. I promise." Linna lied. She had no intention on explaining everything at any point in time. She'd tell them who Priss was though, just not until she had time with Priss before then.  
  
"Let her do her thing." Her mom supported her, "We'll talk about this all at a more appropriate time." She alomst had to drag Linna's father out of the room. Once the door was shut behind them, Priss hurried up to Linna and gave her a gentle loving hug.   
  
Linna was a little surprised by Priss' action, but was very willing to accept it as a good thing. She kissed Priss on the cheek. Priss smiled at her, then looked down in a frown again.  
  
"Sylia's..." Priss tried to finnaly say it outloud, knowing that if she did that would only make it a fact, "...gone"  
  
"I felt it." Linna held Priss' hand, "Are you okay?"  
  
"Better than Nigel..." She used some sarcasim to lighten her mood. She could only imagine what he looked like now, but she didn't want to.  
  
"Nigel?" Linna cocked her head. She had been through alot of loss in her family, but Sylia was going to be the hardest loss she'd have to get over yet.  
  
"He's gone too." Priss took a seat on the very edge of Linna's bed, "I was sure I was going to loose you too..."  
  
"Oh, so that's why I got the loving attention." Linna nodded, She was surprised at how well she was coping with this all. Was she being strong for Priss? God knows that's what Priss would need after seeing the love of her life pass away right in front of her.   
  
"You weren't before this happened?" She gestured with her head at the hospital bed. Linna smiled. She tugged on Priss until she pulled herself up to share the little bed with her.  
  
"If the doctors saw this they'd probably kick you out." Linna stated.  
  
"If you're parents saw this I'd be seeing Sylia sooner than I'd like." Priss countered. Linna bit her lip, hoping that wasn't how they'd react.  
  
"I want to tell them..." Linna said before kissing Priss. Priss pulled away.  
  
"Are you crazy?!" She blinked.  
  
"I think they'll understand... Somehow." She explained herself, "Just... before I do that. I want to know one thing Priss. "  
  
"Um..." Priss looked unsure in her tough self way.  
  
"Do you love me?" Linna blurted out, in such a blunt way she wanted to slap herself. She always imagine it so much more romantic. The embarrasment quicly faded to frustration when Priss didn't respond, at all. She repeated her self in a much more pleasing manner, "Priss, do you love me the way I love you?"  
  
Priss closed her eyes. She hated making commetments. "Yes," She swore she'd never again utter those words to anyone ever again. She swallowed her pride as she heard herself say it, "Yes, I love you."  
  
Linna watched the emotion play on Priss' face, she hadn't wanted to admit it, but she did. Priss loved her, and they were in love. This was everything she ever wanted, and more. She saved the world, and she got the girl. She silently thanked Sylia for the Knight Sabers, and for Priss. Without any of it she wouldn't of been able to convince Priss they had anything in common. She used to be just some country girl, now she was her lover. She kissed Priss again. This time Priss didn't pull away. The sound of the door made Priss jump away from Linna and stumble on the ground. She regained herself and glared at the nurse who had scared the shit out of her. She was sure it was Linna's dad, about to rip her head off and use it as a basketball.   
  
"Well, well..." The woman shook her head, "It looks as though you are feeling well today Miss Yamakazi."  
  
"I feel great." Linna smiled at the nurse, then at the glowering Priss.  
  
"I'm sorry to tell you this, but you can't be making out with people in the hospital. I'm afraid your friend here is going to have to go." She said. Linna's obvious disapointment had her continue, "You'll be free to do as you wish in a couple of days..."  
  
"It's probably better that I go anyway... " Priss waved to Linna, "I have some stuff to do. Call me, okay?"  
  
"Okay Priss..." Linna waved back, "I'll see you soon."  
  
Priss snuck by Linna's Parents in the lobby. She didn't want to deal with the confrontation, Linna could very well do that all on her own. Linna was ready to when her parents came back in. What better time than when she was injured and already sucking mass amounts of sympathy from them? She lived, and will be fine... but she's a lesbian! Better than just, moved to Tokyo and became a lesbian,  
  
"So who was she?" Her mother asked before the father this time.  
  
Linna did one last self preperation push to herself, What's the worse that could happen? If they love me, They'll understand... right?   
  
"That was my girlfriend." She said in a nonchalount tone. She wasn't backing down now.  
  
"Where do you know her from?" Her father questioned, taking the word 'girlfriend' just to mean 'friend' as most parents would. Linna was confused by the lack of reaction, but very willing to let it pass.  
  
"Nowhere really. She's a singer." She said proudly, "They're getting pretty big, Sekira. I doubt you've heard of them."  
  
"No, but we've discussed it, Linna, and we don't think you should be around people like that." Her mother said, "I know you need to expierment with diffrent kinds of people, but people like her are nothing but trouble."  
  
"You don't know her." Linna definded, "So don't pretend to."  
  
"I don't care whether we know her or not. We've known people like that, and you're not going to have friends like that." Her father scolded in a firm loud tone.  
  
"I can make my own decisions, obviously I moved to Tokyo to prove that. I've found what I was looking for. " Linna yelled back.  
  
"And look where that got you!" He pointed at her vital stats computer.  
  
"You're not listening to me. I'm happy dad. I'm happy." She said in a defeated little voice, looking to her mother. Her mother had originally come in to agree with her father, but now her face was softened and kind.  
  
"Honey, I think maybe we should let her explain it before we jump to conclusions." Her mother patted him on the back. He seemed to calm down with this, and being taken back by Linna's quick defeat, he wasn't sure where he stood anymore.  
  
"Fine, Linna, start explaining...." He shrugged.  
  
"I don't know how to anymore. You're so upset about her being my friend... you missed what I said in the first place. " She sighed. She was loosing the drive to get this out to them.  
  
"Go ahead, Linna dear, We'll try to understand if it's something that really makes you happy." Her mother smiled warmly at her.  
  
"Priss is my girlfriend." She repeated, when it still obviously wasn't registering, "I love her."  
  
It clicked all too quickly, her father's face turned red with anger again. Her mother looked slightly ashamed, but held her father back.  
  
"You said you'd let me explain." Linna glared at them, "Now, I'm in love. So I'm not marrying any nice farmboys. I don't plan to ever get married. I may have children, I don't know. "  
  
"How are you going to have children with another woman?" Her fathers words were dripping with disdain.  
  
"I don't know right now, but that's okay. I'm not ready to have a family. You can't judge her on her appearance, she doesn't always look that trashed. She been going through alot lately... including them not letting her know if I was okay... and the death of a mutual close friend."  
  
Her father remembered the receptionist babbling on about how Priss hadn't left the lobby in days. Maybe the trailor trash city girl wasn't quite as evil as he assumed.   
  
"...I want you to understand... because I'm not turning back. This is what I want." Linna finnished.  
  
They were taken back, they were surprised. They had to discuss it.  
  
Priss walked all the way into the broken down city. She was humming a new tune, it was gentle and depressing. All the same it was quite a catchy tune. After a while she bagn to put lyrics to it. This was her tribute to Sylia, her love, her hate, her greatest friend. Once at her trailor after hours, and days with very little sleep she still couldn't sleep. She'd close her eyes and she'd see Sylia laying there on Nigel. It hurt so deep inside she couldn't stand it. Writting, and refineing this song was the only way to release her hurting soul. She finnaly passed out on her desk. When daylight hit she was quick to get ahold of her band members. It wasn't nearly as hard as she thought it would be, and they were very glad to hear from her. In no time she had a session planned. This song needed to be released.  
  
By the time Linna was released from the hospital her parents had come around. They agreed that what made thier daughter happy, whatever outraguosly wrong thing it might be, they would have to accept it. They even agreed to formally meet Priss as Linna's girlfriend.  
  
  
Author endnote: Okay... so my conclusion wont be all that much better than the show's was. 1 chapter left, and I'm having hell with it. Damn lack of musical talent. I couldn't write a song if my life depended on it... I so rip on someone else's. Heh. Anyway, appologizing ahead of time for the crappy poem I wrote to somehow pretend to be a song. That's all. It'll be up in a day or two.... 


	9. The Last Chapter! creative, non?

It was the last song of the first show Sekira had played since before the ruin of Tokyo. Priss was bringing in quite a crowd of adoring fans. The sweat beads ran off her forhead as she took a moment to breath before she started on the most powerful song of the night. Linna was in the crowd giving her her the strength to keep going. The loss of Sylia was more pain than she had ever suffered in all the years she was a lone child wandering the earthquake ruins. Linna had been the perfect crutch, along with her music. Now was the time to release her loss to the world though, this was that song. It was the song she poured all of her sorrows into, meant to be a goodbye to her pain and love involved with Sylia.  
  
The beat of the drums lead the heavy tune, shortly followed by the guitars. Priss took one last breath before she poured her soul into the music.   
  
//She was such an innocent little girl  
Though you never would have known //  
  
Priss was sitting back in Sylia's bed at the Silky Doll. She had the sheets wrapped around her bare skin, after one of the first nights she had spent with Sylia. Sylia was fxing her hair in the mirror, and Priss couldn't take her eyes off the woman. Sylia must have notice because she made eye contact with her through the mirror and smiled. That smiled made Priss feel so warm, she wished she never had to leave Sylia to her business. She wished she could keep her attention day in and day out.   
  
"You have a beautiful voice..." Sylia said into the mirror, now fixing the collar on her coat. Priss gave her a slightly confused look, she hadn't seen that comming at all, "Well, you certainly are vocal. Do you sing?"  
  
"Not really..." She blushed at the implications behind Sylia's comment now. She shrugged it off as she began babbling, "Only when I'm depressed, or lonely I guess. I sang alot when I was all alone. The sound made me feel safe."  
  
"We all have our comforts." Sylia turned around to face Priss finnaly.  
  
"I guess so..." Priss watched the woman walk over to her. She reached out and traced Priss' jawline. Priss leaned in to the touch. Sylia must have been making a point of comfort, because that certainly made Priss feel comfortable.   
  
"Sing for me."  
  
"What?" Priss questioned, not sure how else to respond to that request.  
  
"I want you to sing for me..." Sylia repeated.  
  
"Umm... Alright" Priss wasn't sure about this singing for someone else thing. Whenever she had sung before it was for herself, and only for herself. She swallowed, and thought up a good song she had written. As she began to sing for Sylia she felt a surge of control. Sylia seemed to be entranced by the tune. Her lyrics could reach out to people, not just Sylia, but anyone. It gave her a sense of power over her life, similar to her anger, it was a release. It felt so good to share. Sylia had listened until the song was finnished.  
  
"Yes." She smiled, "You do have a beautiful voice. Have you ever considered singing for a band?"  
  
"No." She stated bluntly, the thought had truely never crossed her mind, "Why?"  
  
"I heard of some guys, though a club owner that I know, who are looking for a vocalist." She began sifting through the pages in the address book on the nightstand.  
  
"I don't think I'm what they'd be looking for..." Priss sighed. She was never what anyone was looking for, until Sylia at least.   
  
"Never know until you give it a shot." Sylia wrote down some information from the address book on the back of a 'Silky Doll' business card and handed it to Priss, "What else are you going to do with yourself in the meantime? Beat up some more cops?"  
  
"Suppose I'm gonna start working for you soon aren't I?" Priss reminded, taking the piece of paper from Sylia.  
  
"Yes. But that will be a very part-time position, as I mentioned before." She responded with a bit of a frown. Priss had assumed it was because she was pestering then, how nieve she had been.  
  
"Okay Sylia... I'll give them a call. It won't do any good... but I'll make the call." Priss said, hoping to bring the smile back to Sylia's face. It didn't. Sylia looked to the clock and without another word hurried out of the room. She had so much mystery about her, it awed Priss, and pulled her in deeper. Deeper and deeper she felt into this womans twisted world.  
  
The crowed swayed, they were enthralled. The sound of this new song was depressing, and people somehow related to it. Priss made eye contact with Linna as she continued, Linna was shocked. She hadn't expected Priss to start singing about Sylia tonight, and definately not useing the word 'she'. She wondered how far Priss would go in revealing her sexuality here. She hoped that her new lover knew what she was doing. She certainly looked into it.  
  
//Lost in a valley of painful dreams she slept  
It was a really long time to be all alone  
And now she's finnaly found her way home...//  
  
Sylia was still asleep next to her. She had pulled out of Priss' arms a long time ago, but Priss had just propped herself up to watch Sylia sleep. She was studing every feature Sylia had, over and over again. She loved everything this woman was. She was rich, she was beautiful, she was strong, and she knew exactly where she was going. Priss wanted to cuddle up to her again, but didn't want to annoy her. She had accidently done that a couple time already. Sylia had one hell of a temper. She had punched the computer when it didn't give her what she wanted. Priss didn't want to be like that smashed computer, not that she was afraid of the blow, but more the hate from Sylia.  
  
Sylia twitched, she was dreaming. From the next few movements Priss could tell it wasn't a very good dream. She thought she heard Sylia say 'papa', but wasn't sure. She decided it would be best to wake her before the dream got any worse. She tapped lightly on her shoulder, then harder, and harder. Sylia was completely unresponsive, so finnaly she shook her. Sylia grabbed her hand, and pulled it off her shoulder.  
  
"You were having a bad dream," Priss said, "I think."  
  
Sylia turned to face her with a devilish smirk that threw her completely off guard.   
  
"What?"  
  
"Where you watching me?" Sylia asked in an curious tone. Priss took a big gulp, she hadn't thought about the connection between waking her up and obviously being awake herself.  
  
"Um..." Priss started, trying to find a way to put 'watching you sleep' in a way that didn't sound stalker like.  
  
"Ah, the better question would be, why were you watching me? Did I not tire you out?" She teased. Priss was slightly more at ease with the joking tone she was useing, but still felt so red handed.  
  
"I..." She still was having trouble with wording, "I guess I just didn't get enough of you?"   
  
Sylia laughed at her, then gave her another passionate kiss. Priss wraped her arms around the other naked woman once again. As she was tracing her fingers down Sylia's lower back the other broke the kiss.  
  
"I swear, you are never satisfied Priss Asagiri...." Sylia scolded playfully, waiting for Priss to keep her hands situated.  
  
"And I swear that I'm satified as long as I'm here with you... Sylia Stingray" Priss smiled lovingly at Sylia, and tried to pull her back into the kiss. Sylia resisted however, and Priss couldn't figure out why. So she waited for Sylia to make a move. She was sure she would.  
  
"We... You... " Sylia tried to explain something, but stopped at that. Priss couldn't wait anymore she tried to kiss Sylia again, and this time she gave in. Sylia actually pulled Priss into her, entagling her arms with Priss as well. When the kiss ended Priss rested her face in Sylia sweet smelling neck. She decided right then and there that the smell of Sylia alone could keep her infatuated with this woman forever.   
  
"I'm going to have to learn to say no to you..." Sylia sighed. Priss smiled, she pulled back and looked at Sylia again.   
  
"I love you..." She said sincerily. She had never said it before, and it felt great. She wanted to say it again and again. Sylia didn't find it so great though, she had looked away sadly. Priss couldn't imagine why, she figured it must have made Sylia embarrased or something. So she kissed Sylia's neck and nibbled on her ear, which brought Sylia back around. Sylia gave her one last kiss.  
  
"I have to run the shop tommarow my dear," She told Priss, "So I'm going to go back to sleep... okay?"   
  
"Mmmm...hmmmm..." Priss nodded. She watched Sylia pull away and role over again. She sighed inwardly, not ever wanting the closeness to end. After a long time stareing at her new found love she whispered it again.... "I love you..."  
  
The girl didn't know, and would never know Sylia's eyes were wide open when she said it, and those words made her close them. With the closed eye-lids a single tear fell from the corner of the womans eye onto her pillow.   
  
With the first verse through Priss was only past the easy part, the beat changed slightly as she moved into the chorus. This was the most vague, but most emotional part to her. The sweat dripped from her bangs onto the mic in her hands. She had the crowd interested, here is where they would be hooked.  
  
//Like a relfection in the mirror  
She was never really there  
Like a shard of broken glass   
She tore right through my skin  
Now she's found the end  
And I'm still here bleeding//  
  
Priss hadn't seen Sylia in almost a week, and that was the longest it had been since she had met her. She stood at the door anxious to see her girlfriend again. All week long she had blown her off, saying she needed to work on this, or that. She was just too busy. Priss was hurt, but could she really be that hurt? Sylia was a busy woman. Waiting at the door now was taking forever, she walked around to the Silky Doll entrance. Sure enough she found Sylia helping a costomer there. She waited patiently, happy just to be back with Sylia again. After the costomer bought three slutty dresses, Sylia pulled Priss into the house.  
  
"You're early..." She remarked pouring herself a tall glass of rum and coke. Priss thought she looked quite a bit stressed out. It was probably the downing of alcohol with several pills. It was actually very worrisome to Priss.  
  
"Yeah. We finnished up the rehearsal early, so I thought I'd just head over..." Priss answered, glancing at the pill bottle those pills had come from.   
  
"Would you like a drink?" Sylia asked noticing Priss stareing down at the counter. Priss nodded. As Sylia turned around to get another glass Priss swiped the pills off the counter. Sylia poured her the drink. After sipping it she decided Sylia made drinks way to strong, it was like 80% rum 20% coke.  
  
"Wow..." Priss said reflexively, choking back the strong alchohol, that she would eventually get used to.  
  
"Hmmm Yeah" Sylia smiled. She finnaly smiled, it had taken that long for her to come around to cheering up again. Priss was really worried about her.  
  
"Are you o-" Priss started.  
  
"Why don't you meet me in my bedroom in a few minutes Priss... I have a few things to attend to." Sylia interrupted sharply.  
  
"Um... alright." Priss sat down her drink, with no intention on finnishing it and went to Sylia's room. Once there, sitting on the bed, she pulled out the bottle of pills again. The label read "Sylia Stingray," She smiled at the name, "Valium... Valium? Why? Take one pill when needed. Do not take more than 3 pills in a 24 hour period." Priss frowned now. Sylia had just took somehwhere between 4 and 7 of them just now.   
  
"Stealing my medication now Priss?" Sylia walked in, and closed the door behind her. She had said it while walking in, which confused Priss at the time. She didn't know about the many cameras on her.  
  
"It says to only take one... and you took like-" Priss pleaded with the stern silver haired woman walking up to her.  
  
"I know what I did, Priss." She snarled and snached the pill bottle out of Priss' hands, "Don't worry about it."  
  
"What's wrong Sylia? Something is up, I can see it." Priss begged.  
  
"I said NOT to worry about it." Sylia yelled losing her calm. Priss squinted at Sylia, holding back the tears she could feel gathering in her eyes. Sylia shook her head and sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell... I loose my temper. Lately there's just been alot on my mind."  
  
"What? Is it work? You never told me about anything else..." Priss continued to plead, "You never tell me very much at all..."  
  
Sylia sighed deeply.   
  
"Please... Sylia... I'm worried about you." Priss grabbed Sylia's hand within her own.  
  
"Don't worry about me Priss, I have alot to deal with that doesn't concern you." She growled again, pulling her hand back.  
  
"That's making you over dose on a drug you shouldn't even be drinking with?" Priss could feel the tears falling, and the more concerned she acted, the more frusterated Sylia appeared to be.  
  
"I have a headache, okay?" Sylia snarled, "And I've been taking this shit since long before we ever crossed paths- understood?"  
  
Priss looked at the floor and nodded. Time passed in a blurr after that. It was all very Sureal. It wasn't like it used to be, and then she was laying in bed with the sweat cooling her body. Just like everything else being different, usually Sylia and her would lay and chat, but now Sylia was getting dressed again.   
  
"You're leaving?" Priss finnaly asked.  
  
"I have work to do..." Sylia responded.  
  
"But it's two a.m... " Priss argued.  
  
Sylia finnished getting ready and walked over to the door. Priss was still watching her, feeling awkward alone in Sylia's bed.  
  
"I'll see you sometime later this week." Sylia stated before leaving, "Please let yourself out...."  
  
Priss was left alone in her wake. It felt like everything they had was dying, as if some accident had come up, and now they were dying. No, She was still there, Sylia was dying. She began to feel an icy cold engulf her heart. She didn't like this feeling of being second to work. Wasn't she suppose to be working with Sylia anyway? A chill ran over her body, and she let the tears fall.  
  
Priss could feel tears building as she sung her song. The crowed was hooked as she knew they would be. Hundreds of eyes stared up onto her stage, and Sylia's song was given to everyone of them. Linna was as hooked as anyone else in that crowd. For a moments thought she missed Leon stalking her, just for him to hear this song too. The beat slowed again as she went back into verse.  
  
//She had become such a beautiful woman  
Yet still she was nothing but a lost little girl//  
  
It had been a week and a half this time. She was getting very fed up with it all. Sylia was obviously blowing her off now. She calmly strode into the Silky Doll ready to make a scene if Sylia blew her off again. Sylia looked up to see her comming and then back down to the register she was working on. Priss walked right up to the counter and leaned on it.  
  
"Sylia we really need to talk..." Priss said calmly.  
  
"I'm busy right now Priss, Maybe tommarow?" Sylia answered not even giving Priss the respect of looking at her.  
  
"NO." Priss screamed, "We're going to talk, and we're going to talk right now, god damn it!"   
  
Sylia looked up in shock. She glanced around at the few upset costomers, then back to Priss. Priss glared at her.  
  
"Actually, it looks like I can spare a few minutes for you Priss, my dear." Sylia patted Priss on the shoulder, and lead her into the house. Priss was still scowling at her.  
  
"Now what did you need to talk to me about so urgently?" Sylia asked, hurrying over to the bar for a drink while she was not working. Priss followed her.  
  
"What's going on Sylia?" Priss asked with the concern falling back into her voice.  
  
"With what?" Sylia asked innocently.  
  
"With US, with us... what else would I care about?" Priss gestured widely.  
  
"There is no us, Priss. There's me, and there's you." She gestured back, "And as for our fling you could consider that over."  
  
"Fling?" Priss squeeked, "Over?"  
  
"That's right." Sylia sighed, "But I do have everything ready for you to finnaly start working for me."   
  
"But... Sylia...." Priss dwelt on the earlier subject, "I love you... I love you... You can't just tell me you didn't care? You don't care? Sylia?!"  
  
"Don't love me." Sylia sighed.  
  
"I can't just not love you..." Priss cried. The tears began falling quicker then she could wipe them away. Sylia stared at her cooly, without a glimer of emotion. The words hurt, but that stare was burned into her memory forever.  
  
"As I was saying, You can come try out your hardsuit if you'd like..." Sylia continued to ignore Priss' emotional breakdown.  
  
"I-...I-..." Priss kept on crying. Sylia gave her a quick pat on the back before leaving the bar. Priss didn't watch her leave, she fell to her knees and cried, and cried until the tears would fall no more. When she finnaly regained her composure, Hendserson took her to Sylia and Nigel talking in the pit. Her hardsuit was waiting for her. They had her try it on, and practice a bit.   
  
In a couple of days she tottaly mauled her first rogue boomer. She used all the pent up rage against Sylia to drive her though each and every one of those bastards. While Sylia was still with her, Sylia was long since dead to her now. She wrote songs about a man she loved, who died, dramatically. Those songs seemed to be all anyone knew of her past, but they were misleading.  
  
Right now she was fixing all those misleading songs. She sung about the real source of those songs, though no one in the crowd except for Linna even knew who 'she' was. The adrinaline pumping through her body made her feel numb, and invincable. She took a breath and continued her release.  
  
//Living her life playing games she called work  
I would gladly give all my heart and soul  
If only I could finnaly follow her all the way home...//  
  
She had only been working for Sylia for about two weeks, and now they had another hardsuit built. She was alone in the pit glareing at it. Sylia had a new girl, and that's why she had so harshly dumped Priss, she knew it. She didn't know how long she had been standing there in her soft suit stareing at the red hardsuit, but it was driving her absolutly mad. Ideas of smashing it crossed her mind, but she now knew Sylia could see everything that she did. Her suit glareing was interupted by Sylia walking in with the girl that was suppose to wear that hardsuit. She'd rather kill the girl than the hardsuit anyway. She hated Nene before she even knew Nene, and she would never loose that underlying emotion, although others would build on top of it.  
  
"Hi!" Nene had greeted Priss cheerfully.  
  
"Who the hell is this?" Priss growled at Sylia.  
  
"Priss, meet your new partner, Nene Romanova" Sylia announced. Nene continued to smile.  
  
"I don't need a partner. I can do it alone." Priss snarled at the new girl. Now Nene cowered.  
  
"Don't mind her, she's grouchy." Sylia smiled at Nene and led her over to her harsuit. Priss practically ripped off her soft suit and stormed out of the pit. She was insulted. Sylia would take that little twerp over her. It would be over a year to come spent with her and that twerp was soon to drive her absolutly nuts.  
  
//Like a relfection in the mirror  
She was never really there  
Like shard of broken glass   
She tore right through my skin  
Now she's found the end  
And I'm still here bleeding//  
  
A year had passed since she had loved and lost Sylia. She had grown cold towards the woman she had once cared so much for, now it was just as she had wanted. Priss played with her band regularly, they had become quite a hot item. People were amazed with her lack of enthusiam with thier quick rise to fame. Priss never really could manage enthusiasm for anything anymore, and she had grown used to it that way. Reporters would pester her on how she got with the band "A friend reffered me...", or what gave her inspiration for her powerful lyrics, "I... Riding my bike I guess..." She'd always make up some lie.   
  
One day she was heading down an urban road to go to a rehearsal, and life poked some fun at her. She accedently hit some food outta some girls hand, and the girl had the nerve to yell at her. She stopped the bike. The girl fumed and demanded her food to be replaced. This was great, she drove into the parking garage, and the girl had followed her. The amazing thing was the girl kept up quite a chase. Priss finnaly rode off looking back at the girl still cursing at her. She laughed to herself, and didn't think much of it.  
  
Later that night this very same girl showed up at a rogue boomer incident. She was scared outta her mind, and Priss couldn't help but tease her. She made the same motion with her hand she had done earlier in the day. The girl recognized it. Priss was getting a kick outta the whole thing, then they destroyed the boomer and she was gone as quickly as she has come.  
  
This girl actually tracked her down, and persitently bothered her several more time in next week or so. Priss was very rude and sarcastic with her, but she just kept comming. Priss found herself admirering the persistence and determination on this girl.   
  
She began to ask Sylia about maybe putting this new girl on the team, but the implications in Sylia's voice annoyed her. She left it at that, until she brought the girl to her. Priss watched as Sylia studied the new girl. She made a comment about how hot she was, which Priss hadn't really noticed until then. She instantly became territorial over Sylia again, and began to feel as if it was a mistake bringing the new girl.   
  
Linna Yamakazi became the Green Knight Saber and a very important part of the team in the end, and Priss had no regrets at all. She liked Linna a hell of alot more than Nene, and a great buddying friendship was sparking between them.   
  
Now that buddy was in the crowd watching her. She could feel the weight lifting from her shoulders as the music played on. The song freed her mind and her soul, and Linna's presence was all she needed to fill it up.  
  
//So she created a sick fantasy like her father  
Fighting against everything he had started  
She dragged me through those painful dreams  
In the unknown darkness she's left me alone  
But my love, I'm already on my way home...//  
  
The Galatea fight went down and Priss was sure she was dead. She had somehow lived and was recovering in her trailor. When there was a knock on the door, she knew her stalker Leon was here to collect on his goods. To her surprise it was Linna. That night Linna came out to her.  
  
"Your my best friend and I..."  
  
"Linna don't" Priss found herself sounding like Sylia about someone else loving her. Linna had layed off on it, but with her persistence that couldn't last long at all.  
  
"Listen, before anything else happens Priss..." Linna said, "I have to tell you this or I'll forever regret it."  
  
Priss knew it was comming, but could only hope to further deny the fact Linna had a crush on her.  
  
"I'm... I'm in love with you" She had admitted.   
  
Now Priss could no longer deny her friend had the hots for her, and secretly she had kinda of had a thing for Linna as well. Priss had confided in Linna the secret that she had never told anyone. She and Sylia had a 'fling'. With that out in the open she felt almost relieved, and took advantage of the good feeling by fooling around a bit with Linna.   
  
//Comming home...//  
  
She banged her foot on the stage to the beat waiting for the time to start the chorus again. She took a moment to wink and grin at Linna in the crowd. She was feeling such a high right now, nothing could bring her down. And unto the repeating Lyrics she went.  
  
//Like a relfection in the mirror  
She was never really there  
Like shard of broken glass   
She tore right through my skin  
Now she's found the end  
And I'm still here bleeding//  
  
Her peace of mind could'nt possibly last long. She was laying in bed with her arms around Linna's waist, off in a dream world. The next thing she knew was that she heard a knock on the door, waking her up. She was just going to ignore it, figure that was definately Leon, but they intruded.   
  
She jumped out of bed, greatful that she hadn't taken off any of her clothes in the night... only Linna's. Then the relization hit her that the person shinning the flashlight in her eyes was none other than Sylia. She had the urge to tackle the woman and beat the living shit out of her. It was like she was haunting her, and sure enough Linna woke up. Covers blown, Sylia knew she was with Linna now. Priss could read it on Sylia's expression, she hadn't actually expected her to ever move on. The whole situation had her fed up, and Sylia and Nene were cracking jokes.   
  
The urge to kill slightly calmed after Sylia had finnaly left her home. She decided to concentrate on her music now, since that's all she could ever do to get Sylia off her mind. Linna had been worried, but Priss' hard shell kept her out. When Linna left she felt the impending doom of loneliness. She resented Sylia, and Linna alike. She hated anything she cared about, careing only led to hurt.   
  
As if it wasn't bad enough Sylia had returned. Again. She had come in without a word and sat on her bed. Now it would smell like Sylia for days, and haunt Priss further. She just wanted to get rid of the woman.  
  
"Why are you here?" She had sighed.  
  
"I know I never really explained myself to you, Priss... but there were reasons." Sylia said, shocking Priss right to the bone. She hadn't expected Sylia to start bringing up the past now too. She held her calm face, and was sure the shaking she felt was all her imagination.   
  
"Oh no. Not going into this. It's long gone and burried Sylia. Leave it there." She shook her head. 'must concentrate harder' she had stared down at the music sheet the whole time.  
  
"Is it though?" Sylia stated, "From the attitude I just got from Linna..."   
  
Now the blood was rushing. She felt the anger return to her whole body. If Linna had been there she swore she would have broken her neck. It was a secret she had shred with her, meant to stay a secret. She found herself just glareing hard at Sylia in her sudden rage towards Linna.  
  
"I thought so." Sylia teased her, just playing games off of her emotion. Priss growled a low deep warning that Sylia was treading in dangerous water. She got the message, loosing the taunting expression, and prepareing to leave. "I'm sure Linna will fit your needs better than I ever could. Do you want your pay mailed here?"  
  
Priss had just about enough of Sylia poking at her buttons, and she knew just where Sylia's was in return. She pounded her fists on her desk to express her rage at the older woman as she yelled out the most hateful, mean, hurtful thing she could think of on the moment. She watched as Sylia crumbled in front of her. At first she had great satifaction from it... but then it was getting serious.  
  
Sylia was doubled over on the ground crying, and screaming. Priss thought back to the many medications Sylia took, and wondered if this is why. She had nothing but beer, and Sylia didn't want it. Soon she relized Sylia had just gone bat shit insane. She was trying to kill herself! Right there in Priss' trailor. Priss hadn't felt this concerned about this evil woman for so long. She held her back, trying to stop her from hurting herself. She begged and pleaded with the woman again. She was in another world completely, until she started appologizing to Priss.  
  
"I'm so very sorry. I never meant to hurt you the way I did. If I hadn't... I'm sorry." She confessed, still threatening her own life.  
  
That brought out the tears. Priss' tears were intermixing with Sylia's now, and all she could do was beg Sylia to put the broken beer bottle down.  
  
"I still love you. I love all of you. I don't want to hurt you all anymore. I don't want to be my father, I just wanted to stop what he started. I- I-...don't deserve to live. I'm the cause of thousands of lost lives." She continued in her insane rambling, that for some reason re-opened that closed wound further.   
  
It was a horror to see Sylia stab herself, and her blood to wash over Priss' hands. She wouldn't of been able to deal with this a year ago, but now she did. She took Sylia home, and kept it a secret what had happened. She knew Sylia would want it that way. Afterwards, she had to fix the wound that had been so thoroughly torn open in her soul. Linna was the perfect band-aid. Didn't fix it completely but it certainly helped.  
  
//Like a relfection in the mirror  
She was never really there  
Like shard of broken glass   
She tore right through my skin  
Now she's found the end  
And I'm gonna stop bleeding//  
  
It wasn't more than a couple days later, if that. Priss was about to take a nice cold shower, just to shake the absolute boredom she was trapped in. The bathroom was eerie, being all dark and the shattered mirror. She even found blood on one of the shards of broken glass. Then she was caught off guard by Sylia joining her in the little room. She had closed the door behind her, and had the most mischievious facial expression.   
  
Priss' whole body reacted with panic. Sylia was pulling her back into one of her games, and probably all because of Linna too. She was prepared for Sylia's seduction techniques and held a sharp tongue to keep her away.   
  
"What are you trying to do Sylia?" She sneered. Sylia sighed and crossed the room right in front of Priss. Priss didn't take eyes off her, and moved in respose to Sylia's movement to stay away from her. She eyed the door. Sylia tried running the shower, and letting the water drip off of her hand to loosen Priss up. The action just proved the point that Sylia was trying to seduce her again.  
  
"I miss you, sometimes. I've made so many mistakes." Sylia sighed. She almost seemed convincing. Priss scoffed. "Sometimes you're so hard Priss, maybe you should lighten up a little bit. You couldn't possibly hate me as much as you lead on... could you?"  
  
Priss knew the answer to that, but wasn't willing to share it. She hated her. She hated her more than she showed, but she hated her only because she loved her so fucking much. She let Sylia approach her. It was as if her feet were frozen in place. Sylia smiled that smile that she used to love so very much, then leaned into kiss her lightly. In that moment Priss was eighteen again, she was all over Sylia. She loved Sylia more than life itself, and she would give anything to stay in it forever. Then the kiss was broken as ubruptly as it had begun. She didn't want it to be, she lingered in the flowing emotions. She kept her eyes closed to visualize the past and block out reality. The past was gone though, and the past hurt. A tear fought for it's freedom and ran down her cheek. She looked down, ashamed now of her lingering lust, and her failure to resisit Sylia.  
  
"I do care about you. I always have, and I want you to know that." Sylia whispered to her. It was like she was speaking to her soul. All the hate, and all the denial she had. It was soaked up in those words. She didn't want to face this, not then, not now, not ever. She would have to accept that she didn't know Sylia then, and she had as much of a part in hurting herself as Sylia did. Sylia was trying to protect her, it's why she always got that concerned expression whenever Priss had announced how much she cared, or how often she wanted to be with her. It's why she used work as an excuse to spend time apart, and then finaly why she just had to break it off. If she hadn't Priss knew just as much as she had, she would have clinged onto that woman up to and beyond death. It was insane to think about, but it was true. She nodded with acceptance.  
  
Sylia left her then, and she got to wash away her tears of revalation in a warm shower. It had finnaly come to a conclusion after so long, and she accepted it fully now. She loved Sylia, but it could never be. She was falling in love with Linna, and that would be far more practical... and far less painful...  
  
//Like a relfection in the mirror  
She was never really there  
Like shard of broken glass   
She tore right through my skin  
Now she's found the end  
And I'm no longer bleeding//  
  
Sylia had saved her life only three days previous. She was going insane by the wait they forced upon her in the hospital room. She didn't know if either of her two loves were going to be okay. Niether of them had looked good when they were taken to the hospital. They had perfect timing, just before her sanity had slipped, they released Sylia into the hands of her younger brother, Mackie. Priss had originally sensed something very wrong, but had passed it off as Sylia just being high off her ass.  
  
She followed them back to her home, and watched from the other room while Sylia got situated with Nigel on the couch. The two of them talked in thier own way of expressing love, while Mackie was mixing a drink for Sylia. Nene was now his walking attachment, Priss was just glad it was him and not her. She couldn't take the cute sweetness between those two and joined Sylia and Nigel in the living room. She sat down on the coffee table even though there were two chairs open, just because she'd be closer to Sylia. That worried feeling was getting worse. It was almost as if she could feel what Sylia was going through in a 'vibe' like way.  
  
She had walked in on the line "I wish things could have been diffrent" comming from Sylia, with Nigel agreeing. She put in her agreement as well.  
  
Sylia gave her that look she had when they first met. That look that just said so many things. It was a sorrowful, yet loving look.  
  
"Priss" She said in a quiet voice along with the look.  
  
"I just wanted to thank you." Priss announced to her ex-lover, "Even though you've almost had me killed six zillion times, you've lied to me, you've hurt me worse than anyone in the world... but I'm sure I wouldn't be alive at all if it weren't for you. So Thanks."   
  
Sylia looked shocked, then very pleased. That's exactly what Priss had been going for. She wanted to make it okay with Sylia, just as Sylia had made it okay with her. Sylia closed her eyes and leaned into Nigel with the pleased look played out on her face. She looked so serene and beautiful, she was having trouble looking away again.   
  
Darkness engulfed her vision suddenly. She could see three people standing in the darkness, an older brown hair man, a woman that looked alot like Sylia, and Galatea. The child, which she had decided looked like Galatea was actually Sylia as a child. The other two were her parents... it was a perfect family picture. She stared in shock at the image, now fading back to Nigel and Sylia. The child giggled happily as the image disapeared into nothing. Sylia was still, too still. Sylia was dead. Death. It was a concept that Priss should have been familiar with... but no one that close to her had ever died. She was at a loss of any action, as she stared at what she knew was just a lifeless corpse now.   
  
Nigel had brushed his hand accross her face, and it had hit him. Priss saw the realization, even though he kept his cool. He stood up, and retired to his room. Priss knew what was comming next. The gunshot was louder than she had expected, it startled her out of her lock on stare. Mackie and Nene ran to help the already dead man. He, just as she would have been- if not for Linna, was with Sylia again. The seductress queen that could drag her pawns right down with her, she was indeed. Priss smirked and shook her head at her old friend. Looked like this place was going to hell.  
  
She returned to the hospital, ready to find Linna dead next. She knew she'd be joining them all soon if she was. When she walked in she was invited into Linna's room for the first time. Linna was doing great, and no where near the death Priss was prepared for. Her parent's were there, creeping Priss out, so Linna chased them outta the room for her.   
  
They chit chatted and joked off the pain weary on both thier minds. Linna had become rather persistent on making sure the relationship they were in was real. Priss wondered why she hadn't ever bothered Sylia like that. It might of helped.   
  
"Do you love me?" Linna asked bluntly after Priss was obviously avoiding the subject. What a place to ask, right in the middle of a hospital room. Priss wasn't ready to commit, but at the same time she really was. She needed Linna right now... and if reassurance was the price, reassurance it was.  
  
"Yes, I love you." She smiled at Linna, then found herself kissing her. Again, in a hospital room, Priss wondered how much worse you could get. A church. A church would definately be worse. Linna's touch, and Linna's voice was everything she needed to keep on her feet, even though she was laying in a hospital bed at the moment.   
  
The nurse walking in on them was enough to get her back on her feet though. That was the problem with PDA in a hospital room. So she was asked to leave...  
  
//No, not bleeding anymore...//  
  
They had dinner at her parents house about a week later. Priss was freaking out on the whole ride there, Linna riding on the back of her motorcycle.  
  
"You're sure they're not gonna kill me?" Priss asked over the wind and hum of the engine.  
  
"They're not gonna kill you!" Linna shouted once again. She had said it about a hundred times since they'd departed from Tokyo, but Priss still wasn't convinced.  
  
"Poison. They're going to poison me..."  
  
"They aren't going to poison you!"   
  
"Yeah right... I think you put far too much trust in people Linna..."  
  
"They're my parents... not strangers. I grew up with them They aren't going to poison you."  
  
"Where are we going?" Priss asked noticing they were close.  
  
"That driveway with the 'Yamakazi' mail box..."   
  
"Oh... yeah. Right." Priss pulled into the driveway. Linna quickly demounted herself. Priss however looked as if she was gonna head straight back to Tokyo.  
  
"Priss!" Linna scolded her for being so up tight about this simple little dinner. She had wanted to wear something non-offensive, and Linna told her to just be who she was. Now she regreted it. She was so going to be called trailor trash again. She took off her helmet and climbed off the bike. At least with Sylia she never had to go home to mom and dad.  
  
Linna grabbed her arm and pulled her along. She let herself in and lead Priss through a quick tour of the downstairs house. Priss let Linna drag her this way and that. She just couldn't stop thinking about the muliple poisons they'd be giving her just to make sure she was good and dead.  
  
"Oh Linna! You're home!" Her mother spied the two girls wandering around the house. She hurried over and gave her daughter a big hug. Priss swallowed. This was just too much pressure for her. She'd take a concert over this any day, night... whatever.   
  
"You've met before, but Mom, Priss, Priss, My mother..." Linna introduced them.   
  
"Hi..."Was all Priss could utter.  
  
"It's very nice to finnaly get to meet you, Priss." She smiled at her. Priss wanted to run. If she ran now she could make it to the bike and out of town before the father even got the chance to see her.   
  
"Yeah, you too" She choked out in response. Linna grabbed her hand again. That was a little bit of comfort, all though it drew more attention to thier relationship. Linna's mother had only glaced nervously at them before announceing that dinner would be ready soon, to go wait at the table. So they did. As soon as they entered the dinning room, Priss got the eye daggers from Linna's father.   
  
"Dad, this is Priss." Linna said it in a firmer voice to her father than she had to her mother. Thank god the food came just then, and Priss could concentrate on eating her poison, rather than those angry eyes.  
  
"So... Linna said you play in a band, Priss, how is that?" Her mother tried to start conversation.  
  
"Um... It works for me..." She answered, shrugging slightly.  
  
"Are you on drugs?" Her father accused, "Rock and roll singers are always on drugs..."  
  
"No. Hell no." Priss glared at the man that had been glareing at her all night, "I don't do anything that could put me off gaurd, or ruin my voice. Thank you very much, sir."  
  
"Priss" Linna jabbed at Priss leg under the table.  
  
"What? He insulted me. Again." Priss was losing control, " ou expect me just to sit here and let him try and find every fault he can with me?"  
  
"Priss... calm down." Linna begged.  
  
"No. I'm not going to calm down. I told you I didn't want to come." Priss stood up and looked from face to face at the table, she sneered, "They hate me. You're just going to have to deal with that, because MR. and MRS. Yamakazi.... I LOVE HER. You don't have to like me... "  
  
"Priss! Sit down... please." Linna pulled at Priss' leather jacket.  
  
"Let me know when you want to go home..." Priss moved around the chair and found her way to the front door. She let herself out, and sat on her bike looking out at the countryside sky. That had been one of the worse senerios she had pictured. She sighed.  
  
"Miss Asagiri." A masculine voice came from behind. She lowered her head, but didn't look back,. "Assuming I have mis judged you, which my daughter and wife both seem to agree on... I wanted to give you a proper welcome into our family."  
  
"Heh." Priss scoffed, she turned around to see the man standing right behind her. She hopped off her bike in surprise. He collected the surprised girl into a hug. She returned it, confused the whole time.   
  
"I did always expect her to marry a proper, rich, young man..." He smirked, "But I suppose you'll do..."  
  
"Just so you know... She hit on me." Priss found herself joking with the old man.  
  
"Did she now?" He asked, "And here I thought you turned her into a... yeah. Well anyway, Would you like to come back in?"  
  
"I'd prefer not to Sir, but thank you..." Priss declined.  
  
"I'll go get Linna then." He walked away. Priss collapsed against her bike. That night was enough stress to cause an ulcer. Linna came outside and climbed on the bike without saying much of anything. Priss was sure she was angry with her.   
  
"Linna..." Priss was going to try and make better of it before it got to late, "I'm sorry..."  
  
"No Priss... I'm sorry" Linna responded, "It was a silly dream, my parents actually excepting you..."  
  
"They didn't seem all that bad..." Priss said to her compainion, "Just sure as hell makes me glad I don't have any parents..."  
  
//You're free  
I'm free//  
  
The funeral was simple. Sylia and Nigel's ashes were buried together, and only very close friends were there. So it came down to Mackie, Nene, Henderson, Linna and Priss. The sky had rained down on them forcing them inside quickly.   
  
"So what now?" Linna found herself asking as the funeral was comming to an end. "I guess this means the end of the Knight Sabers...."  
  
"My hardsuit still works..." Nene announced, "And Mackie can fix them, basically...."  
  
"Not like Nigel could..." Mackie sighed.  
  
"Wow... That was our last battle. Who woulda guessed?" Priss turned to look at the others. She had been stareing out the window, towards Sylia's new grave.  
  
"I guess it is an end then..." Nene sighed.  
  
"Well, we'll just have to get on with our lives then... " Priss smiled at Linna, "Live like normal people for a while."  
  
"Mistress Sylia would be proud." Henderson put in his few words.  
  
//I'm not gonna bleed anymore...//  
  
The show ended with more beauty than Priss could have imagined. The people gave her that amazed depressed, but driven applause. She could see faces from every walk of life out there, and of course Linna's. They all felt the emotion, and were now adoring her for sharing it. She gave a quick bow to her fans before making her way back stage.   
  
Linna waited patienly in the empting club to tell Priss what an amazing show that had been. She didn't have to wait to long, Priss surprised her from behind. She had wraped her arms around Linna's waist, and rested her chin on Linna's shoulder.  
  
"Like the show?"  
  
"That was amazing, Priss! I can't believe you actually sung that..." Linna leaned back into Priss' embrace. She hadn't ever thought Priss would be showing her this kind of attention publicly.   
  
"Neither can I, but I did... " Priss pecked Linna's neck playfully.  
  
"Wow your in a good mood!" Linna teased her lover, surprised by the change to her average mood.  
  
"Think so?" Priss asked letting go of Linna and stepping back, "I feel like riding... joining me?"  
  
"Um, sure" Linna smiled, taking Priss' hand and letting herself be led out to Priss' bike. Priss rode out to a waterside field, where she stopped to adore the sky above. Linna joined her on the grass, looking up to the stars.  
  
"What are you thinking?" Linna asked studying Priss' unreadable expression.  
  
"Hmmm... I don't know." Priss smirked, and lunged out at Linna pulling her into and loving embrace. She kissed her forhead, "I guess I was thinking I can't believe that I've fallen for a mousey country girl..."  
  
"Hey..."  
  
  
Ze End! Finnaly!  
  
loved it? Hated it? Lemme know...  
  
Imaj 


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